52 
Allen's naturalist’s lierary. 
I. THE SMEW. MERGUS ALEELLUS. 
Mergus albellus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 209 (1766); Macg. Br. 
B. V. p. 233 (1852) ; Dresser, B. Eur. vi. p. 699, pis. 
454 . 455 (1874); B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 137 (1883); 
Saunders, cd. Yarn Br. B. iv. p. 449 (1885); Seebohni, 
Br. B. iii. p. 636 (1885); Saunders, Man. Br. B. p. 463 
(1889) ; I.ilford, Col. Eig. Br. B. part xiv. (1891) ; Salvad. 
Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 464 (1895). 
Adult Male. — General colour black and white ; the black parts 
on the upper surface being the following— a patch embracing 
the lores and fore part of cheeks, and extending to behind the 
eye, a black crescentic mark round the nape, the centre of the 
back, and mantle, to which extend two narrow lines of black, 
one on the sides of the fore-neck and another on the sides of 
the upper breast ; rump and upper tail-coverts grey, with hoaiy 
margins; scapulars white, with a black border to the outer 
ones, forming a line on each side of the back ; wing-coverts 
white, the inner ones and those round the bend of the wing 
black ; the greater coverts black, with white tips, forming a 
wing-band ; quills black, the secondaries tipped with white, the 
inner ones grey and slightly narrowed, the outer ones more or 
less white; tail-feathers grey, with hoary tips; entire under 
surface of body white, the flank-feathers more ashy, lanceolate, 
and having wavy bars of ashy-brown ; under wing-coverts 
dusky-blackish, the central ones and the axillaries white ; bill 
bluish lead-colour, the nail lighter; feet bright bluish lead- 
colour, the webs darker; iris bluish-white. Total length 17 
inches; culmen, 1-2; wing, 7-6; tail, 2‘9; tarsus, i'25. 
Adult Female.— Differs from the male in being grey above, 
with paler ashy margins to the feathers ; the lower back, rump] 
and upper tail-coverts darker and somewhat blackish; wing- 
coverts grey, with a patch of white in the middle, the wings 
otherwise as in the male ; crown of head and nape dull rufou's, 
as also the lores and sides of face; entire under surface of 
body white, with an ashy shade on the lower throat and fore- 
neck, the sides of the body also ashy-brown. Total length 16 
inches; culmen, ri ; wing, 6 8; tail, 2-65; tarsus, ru 
Young Males.— At first resemble the old female, but have the 
lores and sides of face rufou.s, like the head. These arc the 
