812 
U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
Sometimes the females have the upper parts waved transversely with brownish yellow. 
Generally there is no white on the wings, hut in one specimen from San Pasqual the secondaries 
and the greater tail coverts are narrowly tipped with white. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When col¬ 
lected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig. 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
1184 
Carlisle, Pa. 
Oct. 26,1843 
S. F. Baird. 
15.00 
23 75 
6.00 
315 
Oct. 27,1843 
15.50 
23.00 
4551 
3 
Washington, D. C. 
April —.1856 
Market. 
228 
5472 
9 
Near mouth Platte river. 
Oct. —,1856 
Lieut. Warren_ 
Dr. Hayden.. 
13.50 
21.00 
5.75 
4635 
White river, Neb. 
May —,1855 
Col. A. Vaughan. 
8635 
9 
100 m. east of Laramie.. 
Oct. 10,1857 
Wm. M. Magraw. 
217 
Dr. Cooper... 
15.00 
23.00 
5.75 
Iris brown, bill black, feet 
black. 
5138 
Crossing of Pecos, N. M 
Jan. 10,1855 
Capt. Pope. 
97 
9848 
Janos, Mex. 
April—,1855 
Maj. Emory. 
65 
Dr. Kennerlv. 
9847 
San Pasqual. Cal. 
Nov. 21,1854 
10 
4607 
15.50 
22.00 
6.00 
feet gray. 
9846 
Bodega, Cal. 
Dec. —,1854 
Lieut. Trowbridge 
Sub-Family MERGINAE. 
Ch.—B ill very slender, narrow, compressed, terminated by a conspicuous nail. Edges much serrated, the serrations 
projecting. Tarsi much compressed ; the scales anteriorly large and transverse, becoming smaller and smaller on the sides and 
behind. Tail feathers 18 in North American species. 
The Merginae or fishing ducks are represented in the United States by three well established 
species, placed by modern systematists in as many genera. Two of these, however, are so 
nearly alike that I prefer to consider them as the same ; the third is sufficiently distinct. The 
Mergus albellus of Europe is scarcely entitled to a place in our fauna. 
The genera adopted may easily he recognized by the following characters : 
Mergus. —Most of hill red. Serrations acute, recurved. Tarsi two-thirds the length of 
middle toe. Head with a depressed crest. 
Lophodytes. —Bill black. Serrations oblique. Tarsi half the middle toe. Head with an erect 
vertical crest. 
Comparative measurements of species. 
Catal. 
No. 
Species. 
Locality. 
Sex. 
Length. 
Stretch of 
wings. 
CD 
C 
is 
Tail. 
Tarsus. 
Middle toe. 
Its claw 
alone. 
Bill above, 
from feath¬ 
ers. 
Along gape. 
Bill, from 
side. 
Specimen 
measured. 
1304 
3 
10.86 
4.86 
1.84 
2.76 
0.40 
2.07 
2.90 
2.54 
26.50 
38.25 
11.00 
FrCsh... o 
879 
.do. 
9 
21.00 
9.70 
4.80 
1.72 
2.48 
0.35 
1.90 
2.33 
2.10 
Skin. 
23.25 
33.50 
9.75 
Fresh.... 
311 
3 
22.50 
8.60 
4.00 
1.80 
2.65 
0.48 
2.24 
2.76 
2.30 
23.25 
33.00 
Fresh.... 
8679 
Q 
9.10 
3.96 
1.74 
2.56 
0.36 
2.18 
2.56 
2.34 
Skin. 
20.00 
31.50 
9.00 
Fresh.... 
1311 
$ 
17.00 
7.90 
4.26 
1.20 
2.20 
0.34 
1.50 
1.98 
1.70 
Skiu. 
17.50 
26.25 
7.32 
Fresh.... 
1306 
9 
16.30 
7.30 
4.14 
1.02 
1.96 
0.28 
1.48 
1.86 
1 66 
Skin. 
17.50 
25.00 
7 40 
Fresh... 
209 
.do. 
9 
15.10 
7.10 
4 12 
1.20 
2.06 
0.32 
1.43 
1.76 
1.60 
Skin. 
