250 HOODED MERGANSER. 



elongated. Wings very short, small, curved, and pointed; primaries 

 narrow, tapering, the first scarcely shorter than second, the rest rapidly 

 graduated ; secondaries short, narrow, rounded, the inner elongated and 

 tapering. Tail short, graduated, of sixteen rounded feathers. 



Bill black. Iris yellow. Feet yellowish-brown ; claws dusky. Up- 

 per part of the head, back, smaller wing-coverts, quills and tail, brown- 

 ish-black ; sides of the head, upper half of neck all round, the broad ex- 

 tremities of the large feathers on the shoulders, the scapulars, inner secon- 

 daries, and larger wing-coverts, greenish-black. A broad patch of white 

 behind the eye, very conspicuous in the erected crest. Lower part of 

 neck and breast also white, as are the speculum and the central part of 

 the inner secondaries. Sides beautifully marked with undulated trans- 

 verse lines of yellowish-brown and brownish-black ; lower tail-coverts 

 whitish, similarly undulated. 



Length to end of tail 19 inches, to end of wings 16|, to end of claws 

 18 ; extent of wings 26 ; wing from flexure 7^ ; tail 4 ; biU along the 

 ridge 1}|, along the edge of lower mandible 1| ; tarsus 1 j, middle toe 

 lj9|, its claw ^. Weight 1 lb. 7 oz. 



Adult Female. Plate CCXXXII. Fig. 2. 



The female is much smaller than the male. The crest is smaller and 

 of a looser texture ; the feathers of the shoulders not so large ; those of 

 the sides shorter and more compact. The bill is brownish-black towards 

 the end and along the ridge, orange towards the base. The upper part 

 of the head, including the crest, yellowish-brown ; chin whitish, upper 

 part of neck and sides of the head greyish-brown. The general colour of 

 the back, upper surface of wings, tail, and sides, is blackish-brown, the 

 feathers edged with paler, the edgings of the fore part of the back and 

 shoulders larger and pale greyish-brown ; speculum greyish- white ; breast 

 and abdomen pale yellowish-brown. 



Length to end of tail 17^ inches, to end of claws 16^ ; extent of 

 wings 24. Weight 1 lb. 



The Young resemble the female. The young males after their first 

 moult still resemble the female, but have the speculum and lower parts 

 pure white. 



