THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
The goosander is a most expert diver, and its food consists almost 
entirely of fish. 
Allied forms . — In Central Asia and India this species is represented 
by a closely allied but smaller form, M. comatusy the male of which is 
distinguished by having broader black edges to the long innermost 
secondary quills. 
Another very handsome allied species inhabits South China, and is 
known as M. squamatus. 
In America the representative species is M. americanusy the male of 
which has a black bar across the base of the greater wing -coverts. 
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER 
MERGUS SERRATOR 
(Plate XXX, Figs. 6 and 6a) 
Mergus serrator, Gould, Birds Europe, v, pi. 385 (1837) ; Dresser, Birds Europe, vi, p. 693, 
pi. 453 (1874) ; Hume & Marshall, Game Birds Ind., iii, p. 305 (1880) ; Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. 
Birds, part xxi, pi. (1892) ; Saunders, III. Man. Brit. Birds, p. 473 (1899). 
Merganser serrator, Salvador!, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xxvii, p. 479 (1895). 
DULT male. — ^Head and upper part of the neck black glossed 
with dark green, the feathers of the crown and occiput 
/ ^ very narrow and much elongate, and forming a crest 
f more than three inches in length; lower part of neck 
i white with a black line joining the occiput and the back, 
which, with the long inner scapulars, is deep black; 
outer scapulars white; sides of the mantle and chest pale rufous spotted 
with black; lower back and rump, as well as the sides of the breast and 
flanks, with narrow wavy bars of black and white; upper tail -coverts 
and tail nearly uniform grey; breast, belly and under tail-coverts white; 
on the sides of the breast a conspicuous patch of black feathers with 
the central part white; lesser wing-coverts greyish ash-brown; median 
coverts white ; long outer secondaries white margined with black; median 
secondary quills white with the basal part blackish, greater coverts 
similarly marked, the exposed black basal parts forming two conspicuous 
black bands across the white ground-colour of the wing; innermost 
378 
