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79 



HOODED MERGANSER. 



MEEGUS CUCULLATUS. 

 [Plate LXIX.— Fig. 1.] 



UHarle liupe de Virginie, Briss. YI, -p. 258. 8 PI. Enl. 93B — UHarle coiiromte, Bitfe. VIII, f, 280. 



—Bound crested Buck, Edw. pi. 360.— Catesb. I, pi. 9^.—Jlrct. Zool. JVo. 467.— Lath. Syn. 10. 

 p. 426. — ^Peale's Miisewrrif JV*o. 2930. 



THIS species on the sea coast is usually called the Hairy 

 head. They are more common however along our lakes and fresh 

 water rivers than near the sea; tracing up creeks, and visiting 

 mill ponds, diving perpetually for their food. In the creeks and 

 rivers of the southern states they are very frequently seen during 

 the winter. Like the Sed breasted they are migratory, the man- 

 ners, food, and places of resort of both being very much alike. 



The Hooded Merganser is eighteen inches in length, and two 

 feet in extent; bill blackish red, narrow, thickly toothed, and fur- 

 nished with a projecting nail at the extremity ; the head is orna- 

 mented with a large circular crest, which the bird has the faculty 

 of raising or depressing at pleasure; the fore part of this, as far 

 as the eye, is black, thence to the hind head white and elegantly 

 tipt with black ; it is composed of two separate rows of feathers, 

 radiating from each side of the head, and which may be easily di- 

 vided by the hand ; irides golden ; eye very small ; neck black, 

 which spreads to and over the back ; part of the lesser wing co- 

 verts very pale ash, under which the greater coverts and seconda- 

 ries form four alternate bars of black and white, tertials long, 

 black, and streaked down the middle with white ; the black on 

 the back curves handsomely round in two points on the breast, 

 which, with the whole lower parts are pure white ; sides under 



