﻿1 
  78 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  bar; 
  lower 
  parts 
  white, 
  tinted 
  with 
  salmon-pink 
  when 
  freshly 
  killed; 
  back 
  

   and 
  inner 
  scapulars 
  black; 
  outer 
  scaptilars 
  white; 
  inner 
  secondaries 
  black 
  

   and 
  white; 
  rump 
  and 
  tail 
  ashy 
  gray; 
  bill 
  and 
  iris 
  red; 
  legs 
  and 
  feet 
  bright 
  

   orange. 
  Female 
  and 
  immature: 
  Head 
  and 
  upper 
  neck 
  reddish 
  bro^^Tl, 
  

   throat 
  whitish 
  ; 
  upper 
  parts 
  ashy 
  gray 
  ; 
  breast 
  and 
  bell}^ 
  creamy 
  or 
  pinkish 
  

   white; 
  white 
  patch 
  on 
  secondaries 
  and 
  wing 
  coverts; 
  the 
  female's 
  crest 
  quite 
  

   conspicuous, 
  but 
  the 
  male's 
  short 
  and 
  stubby. 
  Downy 
  young: 
  Upper 
  head 
  

   and 
  hind 
  neck 
  reddish 
  brown 
  ; 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  body 
  hair 
  brown 
  with 
  four 
  

   white 
  spots; 
  under 
  parts 
  white 
  ; 
  one 
  white 
  and 
  two 
  brown 
  stripes 
  on 
  the 
  lore. 
  

   Length, 
  male, 
  24-27 
  inches; 
  extent 
  34-36; 
  wing 
  10-11.25; 
  tail 
  5; 
  bill 
  

   2-2.25; 
  along 
  gape 
  3; 
  front 
  of 
  nostril 
  to 
  tip 
  1.25; 
  rear 
  of 
  nostril 
  to 
  lore 
  

   feathers 
  .5; 
  tarsus 
  1.75-2; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  2.75. 
  Female, 
  i 
  to 
  4 
  inches 
  

   shorter 
  and 
  other 
  dimensions 
  correspondingly 
  smaller. 
  

  

  Distinguishing 
  marks. 
  Old 
  males 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  and 
  the 
  Red-breasted 
  

   merganser 
  can 
  be 
  distinguished 
  at 
  some 
  distance 
  b}' 
  the 
  reddish 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  

   chest 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  aiid 
  its 
  long 
  double 
  crest. 
  Females 
  and 
  }-oung 
  of 
  both 
  

   species 
  are 
  very 
  similar, 
  but 
  the 
  red-breasted 
  species 
  is 
  smaller, 
  the 
  crest 
  

   is 
  double, 
  and 
  the 
  feathers 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  its 
  mandible 
  extend 
  fonvard 
  

   fonning 
  a 
  decided 
  angle, 
  while 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  merganser 
  do 
  not 
  

   project 
  noticeably. 
  The 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  nostril, 
  however, 
  is 
  the 
  best 
  mark, 
  

   being 
  nearer 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  bill 
  in 
  the 
  Red-breasted 
  merganser 
  [see 
  dimen- 
  

   sions]. 
  

  

  This 
  bird 
  called 
  also 
  Goosander, 
  Sheldrake, 
  Sawbill, 
  and 
  Wheezer 
  or 
  

   Tweezer, 
  is 
  fairly 
  common 
  and 
  well 
  known 
  throughout 
  the 
  State. 
  It 
  is 
  

   more 
  northerh- 
  in 
  distribution 
  during 
  winter 
  than 
  the 
  Red-breasted 
  mer- 
  

   ganser, 
  but 
  more 
  southerly 
  in 
  summer, 
  its 
  nest 
  ha\-ing 
  been 
  found 
  near 
  

   Buffalo, 
  Montezuma, 
  and 
  Little 
  Sodus 
  bay. 
  It 
  fomierly 
  bred 
  on 
  manv 
  

   of 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  lakes, 
  but 
  now 
  is 
  disturbed 
  b\- 
  summer 
  tourists 
  and 
  

   fishemien 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  fast 
  disappearing 
  from 
  the 
  more 
  

   frequented 
  waters 
  of 
  that 
  region. 
  During 
  the 
  colder 
  months 
  this 
  Merganser 
  

   is 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  open 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  and 
  often 
  visits 
  the 
  rapid 
  streams 
  

   on 
  its 
  fishing 
  excursions. 
  In 
  April 
  or 
  early 
  in 
  May 
  the 
  last 
  stragglers 
  have 
  

   gone 
  north 
  to 
  their 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  and 
  return 
  in 
  October 
  or 
  early 
  Novem- 
  

   ber, 
  when 
  the 
  young, 
  or 
  reddish 
  headed 
  birds 
  are 
  almost 
  the 
  onh- 
  individuals 
  

   seen. 
  

  

  