108 BULLETIISr 130, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



" lead " of open water several miles off shore. They appear in the spring be- 

 fore there is any open water except the shifting " leads " at a distance from the 

 shore, and travel steadily and swiftly past Cape Smythe to the northeast, fol- 

 lowing the coast Some flocks cross to the eastward below Point Barrow, but 

 the majority follow the barrier of grounded ice past the point. It is probable, 

 however, that they turn to the east after passing Point Barrow, because all the 

 returning flocks in the autumn come from the east, hugging the shore of the 

 mainland. 



The first ducks in the spring of 1882 were seen on April 27, a comparatively 

 warm day, with a light southerly wind blowing. They were flying parallel to 

 the coast over the barrier of grounded ice. The natives said they were all 

 " kingaling," "nosy birds," or males (referring to the protuberance at the base 

 of the bill), and the first flocks of the migration appear to be composed exclu- 

 sively of males. There were six great flights in 1882, the first on May 12 and 

 the last on June 11, and five in 1883, the first on May 17 and the last on June 4. 



As a rule, these flights took place on comparatively warm days, with light 

 westerly or southwesterly winds. On one day each year, however, there was a 

 large flight with a light breeze from the east. A warm southwest wind is pretty 

 sure to bring a large flight of eiders. The flight seldom lasts more than two or 

 three hours, beginning about 8 or 9 in the morning, or between 3 and 4 in the 

 afternoon. More rarely a flight begins about 10 in the morning and lasts till 

 afternoon. During the flights, the great flocks in quick succession appear to strike 

 the coast a few miles from the station, probably coming straight across from 

 the Seahorse Islands, and then follow up the belt of level ice parallel to the 

 coast toward Point Barrow, going pretty steadily on their course, but swerving 

 a little and rising rather high when alarmed. Their order of flight was gen- 

 erally in long diagonal lines, occasionally huddling together so that several 

 could be killed at one discharge. A few flocks in a great flight usually followed 

 up the line of broken ice a mile or two from the shore, and a flock occasionally 

 turned in at the mouth of the lagoon and proceeded up over the land. 



He further says : 



The majority of them are paired by the middle of May, and the flocks are 

 made up of pairs flying alternately, ducks and drakes. If a duck is shot 

 down, the drake almost immediately follows her to the ice, apparently sup- 

 posing that she has alighted. 



Mr. W. Elmer Ekblaw contributes the following notes on his 

 observations in northern Greenland: 



The most strikingly beautiful of all the Arctic birds is undoubtedly the 

 male king eider. His regal plumage warrants fully his royal name. He is 

 almost as rare as he is royal. Only a relatively small number of his gorgeous 

 family appears to be left, if ever it was plentiful. His mate is soberly dressed, 

 quite undistinguishable from her cousin, the female of the common eider. 



The king eiders reach the Smith Sound shores somewhat later in the season 

 than do the common eiders. Because the males are so conspicuous they attract 

 immediate attention ; and since my first record for them is June 22, I feel 

 confident that they do not arrive much earlier than that date. Probably 

 June 15 would be a reasonable date for their first appearance in the land of 

 the polar Eskimo. I can not say with certainty that the females arrive as 

 early as the males, but I am inclined to think that they do, because the first 

 males that we recorded were apparently paired with females. I believe that the 

 king eiders are paired when they arrive, and that the sexes arrive together. 



