232 BIRDS OF EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA 



abdomen black ; breast pale pink ; line on crown, nape, and 

 sides of head sea green ; inner secondaries and scapulars curved ; 

 of feathers on bill, central angle shortest, lateral angles reach 

 below nostrils. Bill olive green, nail greenish yellow. Legs and 

 feet greenish brown, webs black. $ In summer, dark brown, 

 barred and with rufous tips to feathers ; in winter more chestnut. 

 Bill dusky green, nail bluish. Wing $ 270-315, ? 255-295. 

 Tarsus $ 46-53, ? 44-51- Bill from central angle $ 45-6^, 



? 44-50- 



Breeds. — Kolguev, Waigatz, N. Russian Coast, Iceland, 

 Scotland, Northumberland Coast, Ireland (Donegal), Coasts of 

 Norway, Sweden, Baltic Provinces, Bornholm, W. Frisian 

 Islands, rare Denmark and Brittany, doubtful E. Greenland. 

 Visits in winter Baltic Coasts and Coasts of North Sea, N. 

 and N.W. France ; occasional inland in Germany, Austria, 

 rarely Italy, S. France ; rare visitor to Azores. 



Birds from N. Europe (Norway to Russian Lapland) have 

 been separated as "norvegica" (forehead steeper, in $ frontal 

 angles more pointed, $ less brilliant) but the distinction is 

 doubtful. 



S. mollissima faroeensis Brehm. Smaller, especially the 

 bill. Wing $ 269 (H.). 

 Breeds. — Faroe Islands. 



S. mollissima borealis (Brehm). 



(^ Bill smaller than in "mollissima" and in spring bright 

 orange yellow ; curved inner secondaries somewhat longer. 



Breeds. — Spitzbergen, Bear Island, Greenland, and N. 

 American Coast south to Hudson Bay and Ungava. 



Somateria spectabilis (L.). King Eider. Ger. Pracht- 

 eiderente ; Swed. Prakt-ejder. 



$ Frontal angles, infra-orbital spot, chevron on throat, 

 wings, inner secondaries, scapulars (curved), rump, abdomen, 

 and under tail coverts black ; crown and nape blue grey ; face 

 and sides of neck sea green ; foreneck, back, and upper tail 

 coverts white ; breast creamy buff; frontal angles at sides of 

 bill fall far short of nostrils, central angle longest. Bill red, 

 frontal shield, legs and feet orange red. $ distinguished from 



