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CHAPTER XVII. 
GOOiSANDERS: — THE BUFF-BREASTED, RED BREASTED, AND 
HOODED GOOSANDERS — THE PIED SMEW. 
THE Buff-breasted Goosander {Merganser castor), 
sometimes called the Greater Goosander, the Dun 
Diver, the Saw-bill, or Jack-saw. 
The Eed-breasted Goosander {M, serrata), some- 
times called the Red-breasted Merganser, the Harle or Earl 
Duck, Siolte. 
The Hooded Goosander {M\ cucidlatus), sometimes 
called the Hooded Merganser. 
The Mergansers or Goosanders (for the terms appear to 
be synonymous) form a very distinct family, although inti- 
mately allied on the one hand to the Anatince and FiiU- 
gulince^ and on the other to the Plovers and Cormorants. 
The term Merganser, signifying Diver- Goose, indicates 
sufficiently their aquatic habits and large size. The species 
composing this family are few in number, but four are 
known as European birds, and these all have a place in the 
British fauna. Three are named above ; the fourth is not 
associated with them, because it is placed in a distinct 
genus. 
The Mergansers are remarkable for their long curved 
bills, which have serrated or saw-like edges, admirably 
adapted for holding their slippery prey, the fish, after 
which they dive deep down in the water. The Dun Diver 
or Saw-bill, named first on our list, measures about twenty- 
six inches in length ; the head and upper part of the neck 
