244 
MERGUS CUCULLATUS. 
tertials, long, black, and streaked down the middle 
with white ; the black on the back curves handsomely 
round in two points on the breast, which, with the 
whole lower parts, are pure white; sides, under the 
wings and flanks, reddish brown, beautifully crossed 
with parallel lines of black ; tail, pointed, consisting of 
twenty feathers of a sooty brown ; legs and feet, flesh 
coloured ; claws, large and stout. The windpipe has a 
small labyrinth. 
The female is rather less, the crest smaller, and of a 
light rust or dull ferruginous colour, entirely destitute 
of the white ; the upper half of the neck, a dull drab, 
with semicircles of lighter, the white on the wings is 
the same as in the male, but the tertials are shorter and 
have less white ; the back is blackish brown ; the rest 
of the plumage corresponds very nearly with the male. 
This species is peculiar to America ; is said to arrive 
at Hudson’s Bay about the end of May ; builds close to 
the lakes; the nest is composed of grass, lined with 
feathers from the breast ; is said to lay six white eggs. 
The young are yellow, and fit to fly in July.* 
287 . MERGUS SERRATOR, LINN2EUS AND WILSON. 
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. 
WILSON, PLATE LXIX. FIG. II. EDINBURGH COLLEGE MUSEUM. 
This is much more common in our fresh waters 
than the preceding, and is frequently brought to the 
Philadelphia market from the shores of the Delaware. 
It is an inhabitant of both continents. In the United 
States, it is generally migratory; though a few are 
occasionally seen in autumn, but none of their nests 
have as yet come under my notice. They also frequent 
the sea shore, keeping within the bays and estuaries 
of rivers. They swim low in the water, and, when 
wounded in the wing, very dexterously contrive to 
* Hutchins, as quoted by Latham. 
