merganetta

[Mod. Lat, from Lat. mergus =a diver, and Gr. nett a = a duck.] Ornith.: Torrent-duck; a peculiar genus of Anatidæ, restricted to the Andes of South America, from Colombia to Chili. Three species are known: Merganetta armata , M. turner i , and M. leucogenys , Mr. Bridges says of the first species: "It swims and dives against the flow of the Chilian mountain torrents with a rapidity truly astonishing." ( Proc . Zool. Soc., 1876, p. 407.)