THE SMEW. 391 



feathers more or less tipped ashy-white ; vent sometimes intermixed 

 with ash-brown feathers ; under tail-coverts sometimes barred and 

 marked ash -brown ; tail as female but structure juvenile ; wing 

 as adult female, but secondaries and greater coverts usually with 

 rather broader white tips ; white median coverts more or less 

 suffused and tipped ash-brown, amount of white on median coverts 

 varies individually. Juvenile males may be distinguished from 

 juvenile and adult females by their larger size ; juvenile females 

 have innermost secondaries shorter and darker than in juvenile 

 males, one next speculum without indication of greyish frosting 

 as in juvenile male. 



First winter. Male. — Like adult female in coloration but 

 occipital feathers shorter, less elongated ; no black patch on lores 

 or encircling eye, these areas cinnamon-brown sometimes intermixed 

 with brown-black ; remaining upper-parts as adult female but 

 scapulars with lighter mouse -grey centres ; sides of body and flanks 

 intermixed with white feathers vermiculated and tipped mouse- 

 grey ; remaining under-parts and tail as adult female ; wing as 

 juvenile. Most of the body-feathers (back and rump ?), not always 

 all feathers of breast, belly and vent, tail, in some innermost second- 

 aries, but not rest of wings are moulted from Nov. onwards. First 

 summer. — Forward young males acquire some white feathers on 

 crown, lores and patch below eye are mostly black ; black bands 

 across breast and in front of wing in adult male, indicated by white 

 feathers vermiculated ash -brown and with subterminal blackish 

 bars ; scapulars mostly white with ash -brown centres or tips, some 

 white with outer webs bordered blackish as in adult male. 



First winter. Female. — As adult female but lores and cheeks 

 cinnamon-brown instead of black ; white median coverts more or 

 less suffused and tipped ash-brown. The juvenile body-feathers 

 (all feathers of back and rump and all under-parts ?), tail, not 

 innermost secondaries in birds examined (though in one May speci- 

 men one innermost secondary seems new) are moulted but not rest 

 of wings. N.B. — Sometimes some juvenile feathers, especially on 

 under-parts, are retained. First summer. — Apparently as first winter 

 and probably no moult but little material available. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 192-205 mm., tail 71-76, 

 tarsus 30-32, bill from point of frontal feathering 28-30 (12 

 measured). $ wing 178-186, bill 25-28. Primaries : 1st narrow, 

 pointed and about half longest primary- covert, 2nd and 3rd about 

 equal and longest, 4th 8-11 mm. shorter, 5th 19-23 shorter, 6th 

 31-38 shorter. Innermost secondaries of moderate length tapering 

 to an obtuse point, longest shorter than 6th to 8th primaries. 

 Scapulars of moderate length and with slightly rounded tips, 

 in eclipse plumage shorter. Tail with 16 feathers. Bill rather 

 shorter than head, considerably higher than broad at base, 

 rather stout compared with M . merganser ; upper mandible with 

 dorsal line declinate nearly to nail, groove on side of upper 

 mandible absent ; serrations numerous, fine and conical. Nostrils 



