THE AMERICAN HOODED MERGANSER. 393 



MERGUS CUCULLATUS 



328. Mergus cucullatus L— THE AMERICAN HOODED 

 MERGANSER. 



Mergus cucullatus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 129 (1758 — 



America). 



Mergus cucullatus Linnseus, Yarrell, iv, p. 509 ; Saunders, p. 477. 



Description. — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Fore-head, 

 crown and top part of crest dark fuliginous -brown merging with 

 black of rest of head ; semi-circular occipital crest chiefly white, 

 broadly tipped black, white extending from a little way behind eye ; 

 rest of head and neck black ; cheeks and sides of neck glossed dark 

 green ; centre of mantle, back and rump black-brown (sometimes 

 upper-mantle black) merging to black at sides of mantle ; broad 

 crescent-shaped band of black extending from upper-mantle to 



The Hooded Merganser {Mergus cucullatus.) Adult female. 



breast and separating two white semi-circular bands extending 

 from breast on to mantle, a narrow black crescent-shaped band in 

 front of wing ; scapulars black ; lower -rump and upper tail- 

 coverts sepia more or less with a dark grey bloom and narrowly 

 edged buff-brown ; sides of breast light pink-cinnamon deepening 

 to cinnamon on sides of belly and flanks, feathers finely vermicu- 

 lated black-brown, vermiculations coarser on flanks ; under-parts 

 white, sides of vent and under tail -coverts more or less mottled 

 or vermiculated sepia ; axillaries and under wing- coverts white, 

 coverts at edge of wing more or less sepia ; tail-feathers sepia with 

 an ash-grey bloom and more or less narrowly edged brownish -white ; 

 primaries and secondaries sepia, primaries paler on inner webs, 

 middle secondaries with distal halves more or less edged with 

 white on both webs, imperfectly concealed basal halves with outer 

 webs black or black-brown forming a wing-bar, one next innermost 

 with a broad white streak on outer web along shaft, rest of web 

 black, innermost secondaries black with broad white shaft-streaks 

 (merely indicated on innermost) ; all primary- coverts and bastard- 



