374 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Sommerfeldt's System. Separate 

 Sprays. 



A. crecca. — The short but close down 

 looks greyish brown, with whiter 

 spots on the ground of the ivhite 

 centrum, and small white down ; 

 the lesser down has the centrum 

 white ; rami greyish brown ; the 

 white radii at the centrum rather 

 close, whereas the brown radii are 

 over one line long, and placed 

 rather apart from one another. 

 (See D. of class, opposite column.) 



A. nigra. — The fine but thin down 

 (taken off a bird in June) is very 

 light, with a reddish grey tinge ; 

 the centrum is white ; the rami 

 rather long, white, with a reddish 

 grey tinge, and light grey point ; 

 the radii are very short, and stand 

 out at almost right angles. (See 

 C. of class in opposite column.) 



A. fusca. — The down (taken off a 

 bird in June) is dark, with light 

 grey spots ; the centrum light 

 brownish grey ; rami rather long, 

 dark greyish brown, with ■ light 

 grey points. (See 0. of class in 

 opposite column.) 



Mergus serrator. — The short but 

 rather thick and close hanging 

 down is light blue-grey ; the cen- 

 trum light grey, almost white ; the 

 short rami light blue-grey, with 

 quite short light grey points ; the 

 radii light blue, with grey points, 

 giving the whole down the ap- 

 pearance of being strewn with 

 meal-dust. 



Seebohm and Harvie-Brown's 

 Tables. In Bulk. 



It might be a help to working 

 naturalists if collectors who 



pOSSeSS THOROUGHLY AUTHEN- 

 TIC collections of Duck's eggs 

 and downs would assist. 

 There are — let it be remem- 

 bered — many circumsta.nces 

 which militate against deal- 

 ers' eggs being admitted in" 

 scientific comparisons. 



N.B. this — The above were examined in bulk in a clear but 

 not too bright light, and in the absence of direct rays of sunshine. 



It should also be borne in remembrance what heads the 

 columns, viz. examined in bulk and not in sprays only ; so we did 

 not go into the comparative descriptions of the rami and radii 

 as Sommerfeldt did. I think that may require a more micro- 

 scopical examination. 



