LOPHODYTES. — MERGELLUS. 189 



Lophodytes cucuUatus Salvadori, Cat. Birds B. M. xx\ii. 1895, 

 p. 468. 



CitcuUdtus^mth a cap or hood, cicculliis. 



Distribution in the British Islands. — A Rare Visitor. Four 

 i'ully authenticated examples are on record, one from north 

 Wales, winter o£ 1830-31, and three from Ireland:— a pair, 

 CO. Cork, Dec. 1878 ; a female, co. Kerry, Jan. 1881. Olhers 

 have heen reported from Ireland, Norfolk, and Yorkshire. 



General Distribution. — The Hooded Merganser inhabits 

 North America and breeds (rom British Columbia, Labrador, 

 and Newfoundland southwards to New Mexico, Louisiunii, 

 and Central Florida. In winter it visits Lower California, 

 Mexico, and the West Indies. It is recorded from Alaska 

 and the Bermudas. 



Genus MERGELLUS Selbi/, Cat. Gen. & Subgen. Types 

 Birds, 1840, p. 47. 



Type : M. albellus (Linn.). 



Mergellus, diminutive of Mergus, q. v. 



Mergellus albellus. Smew. 



Mergus albellus Linnceus, Syst. Nat. 1758, p. 129 : 

 near Smyrna, Asia Minor. 



Mergus albellus Linn. ; B. O. U. List, 1st ed. 1883, p. 137 ; 

 Salvadori, Cat. Birds B. M. xxvii. 1895, p. 464; Saunders, 

 Manual, 2nd ed. 1899, p. 475. 



Mhellus—the little wMte (albus) bird. 



Distribution in the British Islands. — A Winter Visitor, 

 seldom met with in the Shetlands and the Outer Hebrides, but 

 not uncommon in the Orkneys and along the east coast of 

 Great Britain ; it is less numerous on the south and west 

 coasts except round some of the Inner Hebrides. To Ireland 

 it is probably a regular visitor, but is always rare. The birds 

 seen are usually females and immature, the adult males being 

 seldom noticed near the shore, except in severe weather. 



General Distribution. — The Smew inhabits the northern 

 portions of Europe and Asia, breeding from Finnish Lapland 



