﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  1 
  77 
  

  

  representatives 
  in 
  the 
  park 
  and 
  barnyard. 
  They 
  are 
  ptilopaedic 
  and 
  

   precocial 
  in 
  nature, 
  i.e. 
  the 
  young 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  down 
  and 
  follow 
  their 
  

   mother 
  at 
  once. 
  The 
  nest 
  is 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  ground, 
  or 
  among 
  the 
  rocks, 
  

   or 
  in 
  hollow 
  stumps 
  or 
  trees. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  usually 
  numerous, 
  oval 
  in 
  shape 
  

   and 
  plain 
  in 
  color. 
  

  

  Family 
  .A.NA.TIDA.E 
  

  

  Ducks, 
  Geese 
  and 
  Swans 
  

  

  The 
  characters 
  of 
  this 
  family 
  are 
  practically 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  

   order 
  defined 
  above. 
  There 
  are 
  two 
  hundred 
  or 
  more 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  family, 
  

   found 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  They 
  are 
  of 
  great 
  value 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   food 
  and 
  feathers 
  which 
  they 
  furnish 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  entertainment 
  they 
  

   afford 
  the 
  sportsman 
  and 
  nature 
  lover 
  during 
  their 
  yearly 
  migrations. 
  

  

  The 
  family 
  as 
  represented 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  the 
  Merginae 
  

   (mergansers), 
  Anatidae 
  (river 
  ducks), 
  Plectropterinae 
  (wood 
  ducks), 
  Fuli- 
  

   gulinae 
  (sea 
  ducks), 
  Erismaturinae 
  (stiff 
  -tailed 
  ducks), 
  Anserinae 
  (geese), 
  

   and 
  Cygninae 
  (swans). 
  

  

  Subfamily 
  Tvl.ElFiGIN-A.Ei 
  

  

  Mergansers 
  

  

  Bill 
  nearly 
  cylindrical 
  with 
  a 
  hooked 
  and 
  overhanging 
  nail; 
  lamellae 
  

   toothlike, 
  giving 
  them 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Sawbills; 
  tarsi 
  compressed, 
  scullate 
  in 
  

   front; 
  hallux 
  lobate; 
  tail 
  rounded, 
  about 
  half 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  wings, 
  of 
  i6 
  to 
  i8 
  

   feathers; 
  head 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  crested; 
  body 
  rather 
  long; 
  gullet 
  capacious. 
  

  

  Mergansers 
  are 
  well 
  adapted 
  to 
  their 
  diving 
  habits 
  and 
  are 
  mostly 
  

   pisciverous 
  in 
  diet. 
  There 
  are 
  about 
  eight 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  subfamily, 
  inhabit- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  holarctic 
  and 
  neotropical 
  realms. 
  

  

  Mergus 
  americanus 
  Cassin 
  

  

  American 
  Merganser 
  

  

  Plate 
  10 
  

  

  Mergus 
  americanus 
  Cassin. 
  Acad. 
  Nat. 
  Sci. 
  Phila. 
  Proc. 
  1853. 
  6:187 
  

   M 
  ergus 
  mer 
  g 
  a 
  ns 
  e 
  r 
  DeKay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  318, 
  fig. 
  264 
  

   M 
  er 
  gan 
  s 
  e 
  r 
  ame 
  ri 
  c 
  a 
  nus 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  129 
  

  

  mer'gus, 
  Lat., 
  diver 
  

  

  Description. 
  Male 
  : 
  Head 
  and 
  upper 
  neck 
  greenish 
  black 
  ; 
  lower 
  neck, 
  

   wing 
  coverts 
  and 
  middle 
  secondaries 
  white, 
  the 
  coverts 
  crossed 
  by 
  a 
  black 
  

  

  