WILD FOWL 
secondaries, primaries and their coverts brownish -black; axillaries 
white. Iris bright red; bill bright vermilion, the nail and ridge dusky; 
legs and toes bright vermilion. Total length about 23 inches; bill 
2 * 2 inches; wing 10 ‘ 0 inches; tail 3 ' 5 inches; tarsus 1 * 75 inch. 
Adult male in eclipse-plumage. — Resembles the adult female. 
Adult female. — ^Top of the head and nape ash-brown, shading into 
light rufous on the sides of the head, and into whitish on the chin and 
throat; the occipital feathers narrow and considerably lengthened, 
forming a crest more than one inch in length; feathers of the back and 
scapulars, as well as the sides of the breast and flanks, ash -brown with 
grey margins; tail ash -brown; breast and rest of the underparts white, 
the under tail -coverts mixed with pale brown. The wings differ from 
those of the male in having the median wing-coverts greyish ash-brown, 
like the lesser coverts, and all the inner secondary quills brownish -black; 
axillaries white. The colours of the iris, bill and legs are similar to those 
of the male, but not so bright. Total length about 18 5 inches; bill 2 1 
inches; wing 8 *8 inches; tail 2 8 inches; tarsus 16 inch. 
General distribution. — The merganser inhabits the northern parts of 
the Northern Hemisphere, and breeds over a large part of its range. It 
nests in Greenland, Iceland, the Faeroes, Scandinavia, North Russia, 
the Baltic and Northern Siberia. In winter it is generally distributed 
southwards, and visits North Africa, the Black and Caspian Seas, 
Persia, North India, China and Japan. In India it has only been twice 
observed, but no doubt the majority of visitors pass unnoticed, as they 
frequent the coasts. In North America it breeds from Alaska east- 
wards to Greenland, and southwards to about 45° N. latitude; while 
in winter it ranges to Lower California and Florida, and occasionally to 
Bermuda and Cuba; also to the Hawaiian Islands. 
Distribution in the British Isles. — In the British Isles it is resident in Scot- 
land, and breeds in numbers on the lochs and along the coasts, especially 
in the northern and western counties; also in the Shetlands, Orkneys and 
Hebrides. It nests also in many parts of Ireland, on the large loughs 
and along the sea-board. In winter it is generally distributed about the 
coasts and is everywhere common. 
Nest and eggs. — The nest is placed in heather, rough grass, etc., some- 
times in a hole, and is made of dry grass plentifully lined with light 
brown down after the eggs have been laid. About ten or twelve eggs are 
laid, in May or early in June, and vary in colour from brownish-cream- 
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