HOODED MERGANSER. 



MERGUS CUCULLATUS, Linn. 



Mergus cucullatus, Linn. S.N. i. p. 207 (1766) ; Yarr. ed. 4, 



iv. p. 509. 

 Merganser cucullatus, Macg. v. p. 225. 



This beautiful American species is a rare visitor to 

 the British Islands. As I know nothing about it except 

 from books, I must refer my readers to the 4th ed. of 

 ' Yarrell,' where a full list of occurrences on our shores 

 up to date of publication may be found. It is there 

 stated that there is no authenticated instance of the 

 occurrence of this species on the continental coast of 

 Europe. I find, in Montague Chamberlain's ' Hand- 

 book of the Ornithology of the United States and 

 Canada,' vol. ii. pp. 363, 364, that this species "ranges 

 throughout North America, breeding from about latitude 

 45° to the vicinity of the Arctic Circle, and wintering 

 from Massachusetts (sparingly) to the Southern States. 

 It is rather common as a spring and fall migrant in 

 New England and adjacent provinces, but breeds in 

 numbers in the northern portions of Ontario and in 

 Manitoba." 



