adult, and a silken kind of plumage well adapted to resist wet.
47)
When feathers take the place of the infantine costume,

size will be attained. Both males and females

elongated form of the
s is not without beauty.
four or five weeks their full
d by the former until the second year, when it

days old, have the
The colouring of their bodie
the birds grow so rapidly that in
are now alike; and the style of dress
suddenly changes to the finer dress.
Mr. Selby described the habit 7
extract from his ‘ Illustrations of British Birds ;’ to which I shall add a copy a 2 ee ae
Jeffery Whitehead, Esq., of Devonshire Villa, Muswell Hill, furnishing ae patel ae 0 e colouring of
the bird in the month of January, when it appears to be in its most ha ul state of p uaa a
“Upon the Northumbrian and other coasts of the north of England, a Mr. ne the species is a
regular winter visitant, but always more abundantly in severe than 1m mild seasons. It haunts the bays and
l s discharge themselves, as W ‘ |
In the Highlands and Isles of Scotland these birds are found at all seasons
s of the interior their residence during the summer, and in winter,

assumed is carrie

-~ hied. that I do not hesitate to give the fellowi
So graphically has s of this bird, th g ng

inlets where small stream ell as the estuaries of rivers, but seldom advances far
inlets where small streé

beyond the influence of the tide.

of the year, making the freshwater lake
: ° mn 3 a : :
resorting to the salt-water inlets. They breed upon the margins of the lakes, or

hich many of them are diversified. Upon Loch Awe, in the Western
e been repeatedly found by Sir William Jardine and myself

should they become frozen,
in preference upon the islets with w

Islands, they are common ; and their nests hav
al islands that beautify its western extremity. The nest is always situated a few yards beyond

upon the sever
beside a large stone covered with brambles and coarse herbage, or under

the highest water-line, frequently |
the shelter of some thick bush. It is composed of dried grass, small roots, &c., intermixed with feathers

and a quantity of down of the bird, which appears to be added to as incubation advances. The eggs are from
seven to eleven in number, of a colour ‘ntermediate between cream-yellow and wood-brown, and in size and
shape like those of the Common Duck. ‘The bird sits remarkably close, and will sometimes allow itself to be
almost trodden upon before it will quit the nest. The Merganser is an excellent diver, remaining for a long
time submerged, during which it makes rapid progress. In this way it frequently escapes when wounded,
merely raising its bill above water to take breath and again dipping down, without causing any perceptible
disturbance of the surface.”

“The male Merganser,” says Mr. Whitehead, “ which I have requested Mr. Leadbeater to submit to your
inspection, was shot by myself on Loch Fleet (a salt-water loch) on the east coast of Sutherlandshire, on the
Ist of January. Much of its beauty has faded already ; for when I first handled it I was much struck by the
exquisite pink colour of the lower part of the breast and belly. I know not what to compare it to; it was
more delicate than that of the Roseate Tern as figured in your ‘ Birds of Europe : it vanished within two or
three hours after death.”

The adult male has the head and upper part of the neck dark shining green, and the occipital crest still
darker, approaching to black ; neck white, with the exception of a narrow line from the occiput to the back,
which, as also the shoulders, are black ; shorter scapularies white, the longer ones black; on each side
immediately in front of the wing a conspicuous tuft of feathers of a pure white, broadly margined with rich
velvet black ; lesser wing-coverts white; greater coverts and secondaries black at the base, their outer halves
being white, and with the lesser coverts forming three conspicuous white bands on the wing; primaries
brownish black ; tertiaries white, edged with black ; lower part of the back and upper tail-coverts, sides and
flanks grey, minutely freckled with black ; tail brownish ash-colour ; lower part of the neck pale reddish
brown, streaked and varied with black; breast and under surface very delicate pinkish salmon-colour ; under
tail-coverts white ; bill bright red, the culmen dark brown, and the nail somewhat lighter ; irides red; legs
and toes reddish orange ; membranes dark reddish brown. ,

The female has the head, occipital crest, and back of the neck dark brown; back, scapularies, and
lesser wing-coverts umber brown ; greater coverts and secondaries brownish black, terminated with white,
forming two white bands ; primaries and tertiaries dark or brownish black ; neck mingled reddish and pale
brown ; under surface pale buff; upper tail-coverts and tail ashy brown ; sides of the bill and nostrils fleshy
red; culmen reddish black; irides red; legs and toes very fine reddish orange ; the membranes olive-brown.

The young birds, when a few days old, have the head and all the upper surface light chocolate-brown 5
above the eye a small patch, and below it a stripe of white; below this and on each side of the neck is a
wash of rusty red; all the under surface, the shoulders, and the extremity of the abbreviated wings and three
large spots on the sides, within the dark tint of the upper surface, white ; bill and legs pale fleshy red.

The Plate represents a male, a female, and five young birds about the size of life.