90 GAME BIRDS OF CALIFOBNIA 



Columbia, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Massa- 

 chusetts, south to Lower California, Mexico and the Gulf States; rare in the 

 northeastern part of its range; casual in Alaska, Bermuda and Europe (A. O. IT. 

 Cheek-list, 1910, p. 67). 



Distribution in California — Eather rare fall, winter and spring visitant to 

 salt marshes along the seacoast, and on the lakes and slower streams of the 

 interior. 



The Hooded Merganser is at the present time the rarest of the 

 three mergansers belonging to California. The other two are typically 

 northern species, whereas the Hooded is southern, breeding largely 

 south of the Canadian boundary. It is a notable circumstance that 

 the Hooded Merganser and the Wood Duck appear to frequent the 

 same type of locality. In California during the fall, winter and 

 spring the former species occurs sparsely in the salt marshes along 

 the coast and on the lakes and streams of the interior. In southern 

 California it has been stated to arrive in November and to leave by 

 February (Grinnell, 1898, p. 10). It is evident that museum collectors 

 have rarely encountered the species in the field as but few specimens 

 have been available for study. 



The following are all the definite records for the state known 

 to the authors: Humboldt Bay, McCloud and Pit rivers (C. H. 

 Townsend, 1887, p. 193) ; Mark West Creek, Sonoma County (Mail- 

 liard, MS) ; Suisun Marsh and Putah Creek, Solano County (Mus. 

 Vert. Zool.) ; San Francisco (Newberry, 1857, p. 104) ; San Fran- 

 cisco Bay (Mus. Vert. Zool.) ; Marysville, Yuba County (Belding, 1879, 

 p. 447) ; Paicines, San Benito County (J. Mailliard, 19026, p. 46) ; 

 Ventura County (Evermann, 1886, p. 89) ; Fillmore, Ventura County 

 (Willett, 1912a, p. 22) ; Del Key, Los Angeles County (Chambers, 

 1914, p. 92) ; Alamitos Bay, Los Angeles County (Grinnell, 1898, p. 

 10) ; Westminster, Orange County (Grey, 1915, p. 59) ; vicinity of 

 Los Angeles (Willett, loc. cit.) ; San Diego (Belding, MS). 



It is impossible to confuse the male of this duck with that of any 

 other species. Aside from the small size of the bird, its vertical, com- 

 pressed, black and white crest, composed of hair-like feathers, serves 

 to immediately distinguish it. This fan-like crest is frequently raised 

 and lowered as if to display the unusually conspicuous ornament. 

 The Hooded Merganser almost equals that handsomest of the ducks, 

 the Wood Duck, in its splendid coloration. It can always be separated 

 from the other mergansers by its bill which is chiefly black in color, 

 and shorter than the head. The female can be recognized by her 

 short bill and dark grayish brown chest. 



Although no description of an eclipse plumage has been located 

 by us, and no birds in such a plumage are to be found in available 

 collections, yet the following quotation from Widmann (1895, p. 351) 

 suggests that there is such a plumage in this species as is the case 



