56 
allen’s naturalist’s library. 
I. THE HOODED MERGANSER. LOPHODYTES CUCULLATUS. 
Mergus cucullatus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 207 (1766) ; B. O. U. 
List Br. B p. 137 (1883); Seebohm, Br. B. iii. p. 633 
(1885); Saunders, ed. Yarr. Br. B. iv. p. 500 (188s) ; ed. 
Man. Br. B. p. 485 (1889). r ^ ^ \ 0/ > 
Merganser cucullatus, Macg. Br. B. v. p. 225 (1852). 
Lophodyles cucullatus, Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii d a68 
(1895). 
Adult Male. — General colour above black, with a beautiful 
semicircular crest on the head ; the anterior part of this crest 
black, the posterior half white, tipped with black, the white 
overspreading the hinder part of the crown and the ear- 
coverts ; scapulars and wing-coverts black, those near the 
bend of the wing brown and the outer median coverts drab, 
forming a large patch on the wing ; greater coverts black, 
tipped with white ; quills dark brown, the secondaries blackish 
internally, white externally, forming a speculum; the inner 
secondaries black and slightly sickle-shaped, most of them 
with a median streak of white down the feather; rump and 
upper tail-coverts rather browner than the rest of the back ; 
tail ashy ; lores, sides of face, and throat black ; remainder of 
under surface from the fore-neck downwards pure white, 
stretching backwards in a half coll.ar on the sides of the 
neck, and separated by black on the sides of the chest from 
a second crescentic band of white on the sides of the upper 
breast, the feathers being tipped with black ; sides of body 
and flanks ruddy-brown, inclining to chestnut on the latter, 
with numerous fine wavy lines of dusky-blackish ; under tail- 
coverts white, freckled with grey ; axillaries and central under 
wing-coverts white, those round the edge of the wing dusky- 
brown ; bill black , feet yellowish-brown ; iris bright yellow. 
Total length, 18-5 inches; culmen, i-6; wing, 7-5; tail 3-6 • 
tarsus, I '3. ’ ' 
Adult Female. — Smaller than the male, but nearly as fully 
crested. General colour dark brown, the head and neck 
lighter and more ashy-brown, the fore-neck more decidedly 
Rshy ; lores, upper throat, and a shade across the sides of the 
head ashy-whitish ; crown brown, the crest being dull rufous 
whitish at the ends of the feathers; wings dark brown the 
