. A history of British birds : the figures engraved on wood . rts ofthe head and neck white: the breast, belly, and vent arealso white, excepting a curved black stroke, pointing for-ward from the shoulders on each side of the upper partof the breast, which, on the lower part, has also similarstrokes pointing the same way : the back, the coverts onthe ridge of the wingSj and the primary quills, are black: BRITISH BIRDS. 239 the secondaries and greater coverts black, tipped withwhite: the middle coverts and the scapulars white : thesides, under the wings to the tail, are agreeably variegat-ed an
. A history of British birds : the figures engraved on wood . rts ofthe head and neck white: the breast, belly, and vent arealso white, excepting a curved black stroke, pointing for-ward from the shoulders on each side of the upper partof the breast, which, on the lower part, has also similarstrokes pointing the same way : the back, the coverts onthe ridge of the wingSj and the primary quills, are black: BRITISH BIRDS. 239 the secondaries and greater coverts black, tipped withwhite: the middle coverts and the scapulars white : thesides, under the wings to the tail, are agreeably variegat-ed and crossed with dark waved lines. The tail consistsof sixteen dark ash coloured feathers ; the middle onesare about three inches and a half long, the rest graduallytapering off shorter on each side : the legs and feet areof a bluish lead colour. This species is at once distin-guished from the rest of the Mergi by its black and whitepiebald appearance, although the individuals vary fromeach other in the proportion and extent of those colours»n their 210 BRITISH BIRDS. THE RED-HEADED SMEW, OR WEESEL COOT.[Mergus mlnutus, Lin.—VHarle etoile. Buff.) This bird measures fifteen inches and a half in length,and twenty-four in breadth, and weighs about fourteenor fifteen ounces. The bill is of a bluish lead colour, thetip dusky: the head and crest are of a reddish brown,with a dusky spot between the bill and the eyes: thecheeks, throat, belly, sides of the body, and vent, arewhite: the middle of the neck is encircled with palebrown ; the lower part of it, the breast, and shoulders,are clouded with dingy brown and pale grey ; the ridgeof the wings, and adjoining lesser coverts are grey ; themiddle coverts white; the greater and the secondaryquills, Uke those of the Smew, black, tipped with white ;the primary quills dusky : the back, scapulars, rump, andtail, of a deep brownish ash colour; legs and feet dullpale blue. The Red-headed Smew has long been considered, bysome ornith
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