260 AMERICAN RING PLOVER.
towards the end, the tip white, enlarging on the outer, and including
thé whole of the lateral feather, and the outer wob of the; next.
Length to end of tail inches, to end of -wings .8, to end of claws
7 ; extent of wings 14 ; bill alone the ridge along the edge of lower
mandible f j ; wing from flexure 5, tail 2^ ; tarsxfK middle toe and
claw ijj. Weight oz.
The Female is a little larger than the male, but similar, although the
black markings are tinged with brown.
Young in September. Plate CCCXXX. Fig. 2.
Bill dusky, at the hasftyellowish. i Feet paleï l ï ïowishjgpén, claws
dusky. Upper parts lighter than 'in the adult, the feathers margined
with pale^yollowish-^rcy ; no black band on the forehead, or un the
nefik, bur a patch of dusky on the .side riiL the neck ¡md breast ; the
band from the bill .to behind the eve grryish-bnuvii.
This species exhibits a very intimate affinity to Chamdriua Jliaticuli
of Europe, which is precisely similar in form, proportions, and colouring,
but considerably larger, and having the feet orange-coloured,
with the webs much less extended.
if* 261 )
GOOSANDER.
MKRUUS MF.ltGAXSER, I.INN.
I'l.AXK CCCXXX I. Mat.»: andEemaie.
This 'species may be said to be a constant resident with us, as
many individuals bri-od in the' interior of the States of Now York.
Massachusetts, and Mainef* When I «St "-sided »' Kentucky,
' some l.red then, also, although a f ^ ' f i e s e i l ' day none pass the Summer
in that etrantry. In'the-latter part of autumn, in winter, and in
- early'spriffg, therarfe « » J i n - a l l parts of the Union; in Texas I
procured some in April 1837','jand in the beginning of May saw a considerableiflockr
in Galveston.' Bay. How ttuch farther southward their
migrations-¿xtenid I know rfit, butfrom having ©ssi-ved them coming
from that diredion, I suspect that they advance pretty far irito the interior
of MSfco', from wtibh' Icffif perhaps cross to 'Me Arkansas
River, on which 'I -have also seen them. On the Mississippi, the Ohio,
and their tributaries:, Goosanders arc found during t he coldest weather s;
and wlum the larger sti-earns are covered with ice, they betake them-
.«lves'tb such smaller creeks as have very rapid currents or cascades,
about which t h e y f ^ i J But'tBel-e are parts of our southern coast,
where they are exceedingly- rare, such as South Carolina, Where my
friend l)r Bachm.vn- has never soon one, and the Florida«, in which
none occurred ine during my ramlilei":th(!?-ei Indeed om- is surprised
to find that among birds like this, which is so hardy as to remain
in our North-eastern States (luring the severest part of the winter,
smne should extend their movements at the same season as far to the
south-west as Texas ; but facts: like these are beyond our philosophy.
In the lower parts of Louisiana, this species is called the " Kec-sciede
na-r," probably because there f i ^ f o u S d only on the large saltwater
lakefi and about the mouths of the Mississippi, and to distinguish
it. from the Hooded Merganser, which theVo is more usually seen
oil fresh wafer, I have been assured by Professor MacCuli.ocii of
1-ictou that it -now and then breeds in Nova Scotia. Yet I found none
in Labrador or Newfoundland, where the Red-breasted Species was
breeding in great numbers. l)r Richardson found it in abundance
in the Fur Countries.