Order ANATIFORMES. 
No. 127. 
Family ANATID/E. 
PROMERGUS AUSTRALIS. 
AUCKLAND ISLAND MERGANSER. 
(Plates 94 & 95.) 
Mergus australis Hombron and J acquinot, Ann. Sci. Nat. Paris, 2nd Ser., Vol. XVI., p. 320, 
1841 (after Nov.) : Auckland Island, New Zealand. 
Mergus australis Hombron and Jacquinot, Ann. Sci. Nat. Paris, 2nd Ser., Vol. XVI., p. 320, 1841 
(after Nov.) ; Puckeran, Voy, Pole Sud., Zool., Vol. III., p. 152, Oct. 10th, 1853 (Fig., pi. 31, 
Nat. Hist. Ducks, Vol. IV., p. 299, pi. 100 (left-hand figure), 1926. Buller, Birds New Zealand, 
Suppl., Vol. II., p. 21, pi. vi., 1905. 
Merganser australis . Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXVII., p. 484, 1895 (Dec. 20th). 
Promergus australis Mathews and Iredale, Ibis, 1913, p. 410, July ; Mathews, Syst. Av. Austral., 
p. 223, June 13th, 1927. 
Distribution. Auckland Island, New Zealand. 
Adult male. Head with a dense, long, occipital crest of dark brownish-chestnut ; feathers of the 
lores, fore-head, crown, sides of the face, sides of neck, and back of neck dark chocolate- 
brown ; feathers of the mantle, lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts dark slate-brown, 
narrowly and indistinctly bordered with dull grey, most pronounced on the upper tail- 
coverts ; scapulars blackish-slate ; lesser and median wdng dark slate ; greater coverts and 
secondaries deep blackish-brown, broadly tipped with white, forming a double wing-bar ; 
primary-quills blackish-slate; tail-feathers uniform blackish-slate; chin and throat brownish- 
chestnut ; upper-breast slate-grey; lower chest, breast and belly slate-grey, broadly 
margined with white ; middle of chest and belly white ; sides of body, flanks and thighs 
dark slate-grey ; under tail-coverts dark grey, freckled and margined with white ; under 
wing-coverts smoky-grey ; axillaries white. Ins dark brown ; culmen and tip of lower 
mandible black, cutting-edge of upper mandible and rest of lower mandible yellowish- 
orange ; legs and feet orange, webs, joints and soles dusky. Total length about 
460 mm. ; culmen 61, wing 191, tail 78, tarsus 43. Figured. Collected at McClelland s 
Inlet, Auckland Island, January 4th, 1901. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male described above, but the chestnut-brown of the head and 
throat duller ; the crest shorter and darker and the middle of the belly less w hite. I lie 
bill also is shorter. Iris dark brown ; culmen and tip of low er mandible black; cutting-edge ol 
upper mandible and rest of lower mandible yellowdsh-orange ; legs and feet orange, webs, 
joints and soles dusky. Total length about 400 mm. : culmen 54, wing 1/9, tail 74, 
tarsus 41. Figured. McClelland’s Inlet, Auckland Island, January 4th, 190 . 
' ,Alina . (About 7-10 days old.) Covered with thick, long and somewhat glossy down. The 
upper-part and sides of the head, hind-neck, and the entire upper-surface and sides of the 
body, dark olive-brown ; throat and fore-neck and a spot under each eye bright rufous, 
fading away towards the breast ; under-surface yellowish-white , wings arvoiye row- 
marked along the outer edge and longitudinally on the under-surface with yeUow^h-w te 
Bill very dark olive, shaded with brown on the ridges ; the terminal[shield on both mandibles 
reddish-brown, with a polished surface ; legs and feet dull olive- ro ^ n > f j t ’ 
the interdigital webs darker and the claws yellowish-brown. It must be noticed that- 
toothed character of the mandibles is well-developed even m the nestling. 
Nest and eggs not described. 
131 
