SMEW. 



467 



similar to that of cats, appears to serve them best in the dark. Many 

 of the duck tribe are not only wakeful, but feed during- the night ; so 

 also do the night-jars. The nightingale, and a few other song-birds, 

 are also wakeful while in song, during, at least, some portion of the 

 night. 



SMALL BROWN GULL.— A name for the Tern. 

 SMALL GREY GOOSE.— A name for the Bean Goose. 

 SMEW (Mergus albellus, Linnaeus.) 



ADULT MALE. 



Mergus albellus, Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 547. 5.— Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. p. 831. 6 — Wils. 

 Amer.Orn. 8. p. 126. pi. 91. 4.— Le Petit HarleHuppe ou la Pietle,J3wf. Ois. 

 8. p. 275.— Ib. PI. Enl. 449.— Smew, or White Nun, Lath. Syn. 6. p. 428.— 

 Ib. Supp. 1. p. 271. — Venn. Br. Zool. t. No. 1. — Weisser sager, Bechst. Naturg. 

 Deut. 4. p. 804.— Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 2. p. 571 — Frisch. Vog. t. 172 — 

 Naum. Vog. t. 63. f. 97. — Mergo oco minore, Star. degl. ucc. 5. t. 513 — Witte 

 non druker, Sepp. Vog. Neder. 4. t. p. 363. — Flem. Br. Anim, p. 129. — Temm. 

 Man. d'Orn. 2. p. 888.— Mont. Orn. Diet. 



FEMALE, AND YOUNG. 



Mergus minutus, Linn. Syst. 12. p. 209. sp. 6. — Fauna Suec. p. 138. — Lath. Ind. 



Orn. 2. p. 882. sp. 7 Mergus Asiaticus, Gmel. Syst. 2. p. 188. 20.— Mergus 



Stellatus, Brun. Orn. Boreal. No. 98. — Briss. Orn. 6. 252. — Mergus Pannoni- 

 cus, Scopoli, 1. No. 92.— La Piette Femelle, Buff. Ois. pi. Enl. 430.— Le harle 

 etoile, Buff. Ois. 8. p. 278.— Minute Merganser, Mont. Orn. Diet. — Lath. Syn. 

 6. p. 429.— Red- headed Smew, Penn. Br. Zool. 148. t. N. 2 — Naum. Vog. 



Deut. 63. f. 68 Merge oco minore, Stor. degl. ucc. 5. p. 514. — De Kleine 



Taagbee, Sepp. Nederl. Vog. 4. t. p. 296. — Mont. Orn. Diet Smew or Smu, 



Bewick's Br. Birds, 2. p. 264.— Red-headed Ditto. Ib. 2. p. 266.— Lough Plover, 

 2. p. 268.— Smew, Linn. Trans. 4. p. 234. t. 16. f. 3. (Trachea.)— Lewin's Br. 

 Birds, 6. t. 234.— Putt. Cat. Dorset, p. 19. — Wale. Syn. 1. t. 82. 



Provincial. — White Nun. Vare Widgeon. Smee. 



This species rather exceeds the teal in size ; length about seven- 

 teen inches ; weight twenty-four ounces ; bill near two inches long, 

 and black. The head, neck, and whole under parts of the body 

 pure white ; on each side the head an oval black spot, glossed with 

 green ; the feathers on the back of the head are long, forming a pendant 

 crest, black underneath ; on each side the lower part of the neck is a 

 curved black streak, pointing forwards ; the inner scapulars black ; 

 coverts on the sides of the wings and greater quills are black ; the 

 middle coverts white ; the lesser quills, and the coverts immediately 

 over them, black, tipped with white ; tail cinereous ; legs bluish grey. 



The female weighs fifteen ounces ; length sixteen inches ; the bill 

 is lead-colour ; head ferruginous, slightly crested ; the cheek, chin, 

 throat, and all beneath white ; the breast clouded with grey ; on the 

 side of the head the same oval spot as in the male ; back dusky, dashed 

 with cinereous ; wings like the male ; legs dusky, in some inclining to 

 ash-colour. 



*The young male has a few feathers of the adult plumage put forth 



h h 2 



