M E R 
« commits as much havock in a pool as a beaverand 
hence, he adds, it was termed cqftor. But the old na- 
turalift was here deceived, for the beaver does not eatfifii; 
and the otter is the animal to which this ifthyophagous 
bird fliould be compared. It weighs about two pounds 
and a half, meafures twenty-five inches in length, and 
inhabits the fame countries with the preceding. 
4. Mergus ferrator, the red-breafted merganfer: creft 
pendent; breaft variegated with reddifh ; collar white, 
tail-feathers brown, varied with cinereous. This fpecies 
is adorned with a diftindt well-formed creft, confifting of 
{lender long plumules, direfted backwards from the 
occiput. It is about the fee of a duck. Its head and 
the top of its neck are of a violet black, changing into 
old green ; the breaft rufous variegated with white ; the 
ack is black 5 the rump and the flanks are ftriped in 
zig-zags with brown and light grey; the wing is va¬ 
riegated with black, brown, and white : on both fides of 
the breaft, near the {boulders, are fome long white feathers 
edged with black, which cover the pinion when the wing 
isclofed ; the bill and feet are red. See the Plate, fig. 3. 
The male of this fpecies is furniflied with a large and 
curious labyrinth in the throat: the wind-pipe, about 
two inches from its entrance above, fwells into an oval 
form, of three times the width it before occupied, and 
continues fo for about two inches ; after which it refumes 
its firft ftiape and fize, and fo continues to the divarica¬ 
tion into the lungs; at which place it pafles through, 
and communicates with, a bony labyrinth, in ftiape not 
unlike a heart, two inches and a quarter long by two in 
breadth ; one fide of which is perforated with two holes, 
covered with a pellucid membrane, which is dilatable, 
and {erves to enlarge the cavity of the labyrinth at the 
will of the bird. The female is diftinguilhed from the 
male by its head being of a duller rufous, its back grey, 
and all the fore fide of its body white, faintly tinged 
with fulvous on the breaft. This fpecies is often found 
in the northern parts of this kingdom; and breeds on 
Loch Mari, in the county of Rofs, and in the Ifle of Hay. 
They abound in molt parts of the north of Europe, on 
the continent; and as high as Iceland; alfo in the Ruf¬ 
fian dominions, about the great rivers of Siberia, and the 
lake Baikal. It is frequent ip Greenland in the fum- 
mer, where it breeds on the ftiores. The eggs are like 
thofe of a wild duck, but fmaller and whiter. It dives 
well, and is very aftive in the water; yet the Green¬ 
landers often take it by darts thrown at it. It frequents 
Newfoundland ; and often appears at Hudfon’s Bay in 
large flocks, but is obferved to be of a larger fize there 
than in Europe. They generally come in pairs the be¬ 
ginning of June, as foon as the ice breaks up ; and make 
their neft {bon after their arrival, chiefly on dry fpots of 
ground in the i{lands. The young are of a dirty brown, 
like young goftings. They all depart fouth in Oftober, 
to the lakes, where they go for open water. 
j 3 . M. niger, the mantled or black merganfer: about 
the fize of a duck; the head, hind part of the neck, back, 
fcapulars, and rump, black : the upper tail-coverts are 
brown, and all the under parts white : the quills black. 
In the female the neck is bay; wings with a tranfverfe 
white ftripe ; greater quill-feathers and tail black. 
5. Mergus imperialis, the imperial goofander: varied 
with black, brown, and grey; head fmooth ; firft quill- 
feathers black ; it has no wing-fpot; bill and legs red- 
dilh-white. It inhabits Sardinia ; fize of a goofe. 
6. Mergus albellus, the fmew, or white nun : creft 
pendent; hind-head black ; body white ; back and tem¬ 
ples black; wings variegated. The white nun is the 
mod beautiful of the whole tribe; the white plumage 
of the fore parts, and the black mantle that covers the 
back, are each perredl in their kind ; the tuft of fmall 
detached feathers, white upon the crown, but of a dark 
green (haded with purple upon the hind part, produces a 
very elegant effect; while, to complete this modeft and 
religious drefs of the white nun, the lower pirt of the 
Vol. XV. No. 1031. 
HER 145 
neck is half furrounded with a collar of long fi!Icy fea¬ 
thers like velvet. This is reprefented at fig. 4. The 
female is not fo beautiful as the male; it has no creft ; 
its head is rufous, and its mantle grey. The fmew is 
feen in England only in winter, at which leafon it is 
fometimes met with on the fouthern ftiores ; as alfo in 
France, in the neighbourhood of Picardy, where it is 
called la piet.te: fimilar to this, it is called in Kent by 
the name of magpie-diver. On the continent we find it 
as far fouth as Carniola: it frequents Iceland, at which 
place, or fome other ardtic region, it pafles the fummeVj 
there it breeds, probably along with the other merga'n- 
fers ; as it has been obferved to. migrate, in company with 
thofe birds, feveral kinds of ducks, &c. in their couffe 
up the Wolga, in February. It alfo inhabits America, 
having been lent from New York, where it is probably a 
migratory fpecies, as in Europe. 
7. Mergus minutus, the minute merganfer: brown-afh, 
beneath and chin white ; head and upper part of the 
neck ferruginous 5 wing-fpot white before and behind. 
There is a variety having a fmooth head; black back; 
belly white; bill and legs blood-red; firft quill-feathers 
black 5 tail cinereous. This is the fmalleft fpecies be¬ 
longing to this genus; and is called the Jlellated mer- 
gatjer by Buffon, from the white fpot, figured like a ftar, 
which is placed below a black circle that furrounds the 
eyes. The upper fide of the head is bay-colour, the man¬ 
tle blackifli brown ; all the fore fide of the body is white, 
and the wing is partly white, partly black ; the bill is 
black, or lead-coloured. In Swiflerland this is called 
the ice-duck, becaufe it does not appear on the lakes till 
the hard fro ft fets in. In winter, thefe birds vifit the 
lliores of our ifland, from the northern regions. 
8. Mergus furcifer, the fork-tailed merganfer: body 
black; head fmooth; hind-head, neck, vent, belly, 
and lateral tail-feathers, white; front and cheeks pale 
brown ; tail forked. Bill black ; dirty-red at the fides ; 
from the ears each fide, through the fides of the neck to 
the breaft, a black band. Inhabits Curonia. 
9. Mergus fufcus, the brown merganfer: crefted ; 
brown, beneath white ; chin and breaft {potted with 
black; wings black with a white band. Hind-head 
crefted ; behind the eyes a white band extending to the 
nape ; lower part of the creft black ; breaft bluifti waved 
with whitilh ; legs yellowifii. Inhabits Hudfon’s Bay ; 
feventeen inches and a half long. 
10. Mergus cau'uleus, the blue merganfer: crefted; 
blue, crown and tail black; chin, belly, and fpot on 
the wings, white. Bill long, black; legs blue. Inhabits 
Hudfon’s Bay ; fourteen inches long. 
ME'RIAN (Matthew), an engraver of the German 
fchool, was born at Bade in the year 1593, His firft {In¬ 
dies were under the diredfion of Theodore Meyer; he 
afterwards became the difciple of Theodore de Brie. He 
was a man of talent; and his principal engravings are 
landfcapes, which he etched in a flight free ftyle, and 
finiflied with the graver. His views have much of that, 
rare but valuable topographical quality, the appearance 
of having been really copied from the places of which 
they bear the names, and which quality Merian had the 
drill and the honour of imparting to his difciple Wen- 
cellaus Hollar. Merian married the daughter of his 
tutor de Brie. He died in the year 1657, aged fifty- 
eight, at Frankfort, or, according to fome of his biogra¬ 
phers, at Schwalbach. His works, according to Lg 
Compte, amount to upwards of five hundred plates. His 
marks and monograms are five in number, as will be 
found in the preceding plate. 
ME'RIAN (Maria Sibylla), daughter of the above, but 
a much more diftinguilhed character, was born at Frank - 
fort on the Maine in the year 1647. At the age of four 
years (he loft her father; but her mother found in her 
fecond hulband, Jacques Morell, a kind and indulgent 
protedtor, who foftered the infant genius of Maria. 
Morell, as, is well known, was a diftinguilhed painter of 
P P - fruits. 
