Oe HOODED MERGANSER. 
white, and elegantly tipt with black; it is composed of two 
separate rows of feathers, radiating from each side of the head, 
and which may be easily divided by the hand ; irides, golden ; 
eye, very small; neck, black, which spreads to and over the 
back ; part of the lesser wing-coverts, very pale ash, under 
which the greater coverts and secondaries form four alternate 
bars of black and white; tertials, long, black, and streaked 
down the middle with white; the black on the back curves 
handsomely round in two points on the breast, which, with the 
whole lower parts, are pure white; sides, under the wings and 
flanks, reddish brown, beautifully crossed with parallel lines 
of black ; tail, pointed, consisting of twenty feathers of a sooty 
brown ; legs and feet flesh-coloured ; claws, large and stout. 
The windpipe has a small labyrinth. 
The female is rather less, the crest smaller, and of a light 
rust or dull ferruginous colour, entirely destitute of the white ; 
the upper half of the neck, a dull drab, with semicircles of 
lighter, the white on the wings is the same as in the male, but 
the tertials are shorter and have less white; the back is black- 
ish brown; the rest of the plumage corresponds very nearly 
with the male. 
This species is peculiar to America ;* is said to arrive at 
Hudson’s Bay about the end of May ; builds close to the lakes ; 
the nest is composed of grass, lined with feathers from the 
breast ; is said to lay six white eggs. The young are yellow, 
nd fit to fly in July.+ 
* The female, or a young male of this bird, has lately been killed in 
England, and is figured in the last part of Mr Selby’s “ Illustrations.” 
This, I believe, is the first Instance of its occurrence in Europe.—Eb. 
+ Hutchins, as quoted by Latham. 
