KING, OR BLACK-BACKED EIDER. 159 



colours of the plumage been very different. In most respects 

 the description of the one applies to the other, and the females, 

 even in colour, are extremely similar. The present species I 

 must describe from arctic specimens, " in the skin," or more 

 correctly, without flesh, as I have never had a fresh individual, 

 or seen more than one killed in Britain, and it imperfect. 

 The general form is that of the other species. 



The bill is shorter than the head, higher than broad at the 

 base, depressed toward the end, where it is considerably nar- 

 rowed, but rounded ; the upper mandible with the lateral 

 sinus very long, and extremely narrow, or linear, being 

 encroached upon by the frontal angles, which are soft, tumid, 

 coarsely ridged, broad, rounded, and causing a large com- 

 pressed prominence at the base of the bill, the dorsal line 

 declinate to the unguis, which is large, elliptical, convex, and 

 moderately decurved, with a thick grooved edge, the ridge 

 broad and flattened at the base, with a medial ridge, slowly 

 narrowed and becoming convex, the sides sloping and convex, 

 the edges marginate, scrobiculate externally, with about forty- 

 five internal lamellae, of which the outer ends do not project ; 

 nasal sinus elliptical, rather small, sub-basal ; lower mandible 

 with the intercrural space long, rather wide, pointed, and 

 partially bare, the outline of the crura nearly straight, their 

 sides gradually more inclined outwards, the edges with about 

 fifty external lamellse, the unguis very large, broadly elliptical, 

 little convex. 



The nostrils are rather large, oblong, four-twelfths long, 

 sub-basal near the ridge. The legs are very short, stout, 

 placed rather far behind ; a very small part of the tibia bare ; 

 tarsus compressed, with sixteen medial and eight outer scu- 

 tella, the rest reticulated. Hind toe small, with a broad lobi- 

 form membrane connected at the base with the loose bilobate 

 membrane of the second toe ; the anterior toes long, the outer 

 about equal, the third with forty-four scutella, and nearly 

 double the length of tee tarsus ; interdigital membrane 

 emarginate and denticulate. The claws are small, com- 

 pressed, bluntish, arcuate, that of the hind toe more curved 

 and slender, of the middle toe curved outwards, internally 

 expanded, and rounded. 



