[goi] Elliott — The King Eider. 



197 



compared to that which immediately follows. The moment the 

 real reduction begins, an enormous amount of work is being done. 

 In the smallest mass of silver nitrate treated before the blowpipe, 

 millions of atoms of silver are torn from the strong embrace of 

 millions of atoms of nitrogen and oxygen. May we not conclude 

 that in the first few seconds of the process, the small amount of 

 work done allows a surplus of heat to raise the uncharred part of 

 the match to combustion but that when the genuine work of reduc- 

 tion has begun all of the available heat is required to work at the 

 one point ? If this explanation is tenable we have here an inci- 

 dental, it simple, illustration of the correlation of the physical 

 forces. 



THE KING EIDER IN MIDDLESEX COUNTY. 



By Robert Elliott. Bryanston, Ont. 



(Read before the Ornitholog-ical Section of the Entomological Society of 



Ontario.) 



The capture of the first specimen of Somater'ia spectahilis 

 known to have been taken in this county was effected under the 

 following circumstances : — 



On the 24th November, 1900, my young friend Mr. Roger 

 Hedley, of Lobo, walking for his mail, being on game intent, 

 brought his gun along and visited Duncrieff mill-pond— a sheet 

 of water which covers about six acres, and is near his home. That 

 morning he saw one duck only, and shot it at a range of sixty 

 yards. He preserved it and lately very kindly presented it to me. 



I find, after carefully consulting Ridgeway's Manual, that it is 

 a genuine specimen of the King Eider. It is a young bird, and as 

 the sex was not determined by dissection, I cannot pronounce on 

 the question, although probably a reference to a more detailed 

 work on our birds, such as that of Bainl, Brewer and Ridgeway, 

 would settle this point. Mr. Hedley further informs me that the 

 bird was in very thin condition and that strong and cold westerly 

 winds prevailed at the time. 



