70 



GOOSANDER. 



examinations and dissections of the present species, I have never 

 yet found the female in his dress. What I consider as undoubt- 

 edly the true female of this species is figured beside him. They 

 were both shot in the month of April, in the same creek, unac- 

 companied by any other, and on examination the sexual parts of 

 each were strongly and prominently marked. The windpipe of 

 the female had nothing remarkable in it; that of the male had 

 two very large expansions, which have been briefly described by 

 Willoughby, who says : " It hath a large bony labyrinth on the 

 windpipe, just above the divarications ; and the windpipe hath 

 besides two swellings out, one above another, each resembling a 

 powder pufF.'^ These labyrinths are the distinguishing characters 

 of the males ; and are always found even in young males who 

 have not yet thrown off the plumage of the female, as well as in 

 the old ones. If we admit these Dun divers to be a distinct spe- 

 cies, we can find no difference between their pretended females 

 and those of the Goosander, only one kind of female of this sort 

 being known, and this is contrary to the usual analogy of the other 

 three species, viz, the Red breasted Merganser, the Hooded and the 

 Smewy all of whose females are well known, and bear the same 

 comparative resemblance in color to their respective males, the 

 length of crest excepted, as the female Goosander we have figured 

 bears to him. 



Having thought thus much necessary on this disputed point, 

 I leave each to form his own opinion on the facts and reasoning 

 produced, and proceed to describe the female. 



