ANATID7E. 



461 



THE KING-EIDER. 



SoMATERiA SPECTABiLis (Linnseus). 



The King-Eider is an inhabitant of the Arctic regions, and its 

 visits to our coasts are rare, though naturally more frequent in the 

 north than in the south. Mr. J. H. Gurney has a female which was 

 purchased — freshly killed — in Leadenhall Market by the late Mr. 

 Gatcombe, who had previously seen an immature bird at Plymouth ; 

 in Norfolk a young male was obtained in January 1888, and two 

 females were shot in November 1890; and a bird was killed at 

 Bridlington in Yorkshire as long ago as August 1850. At the Fame 

 Islands, which seem very attractive to this species, adults of both 

 sexes have been observed from time to time in summer, and mature 

 drakes were secured in November 1873 and April 1885, respectively. 

 In Scotland birds have been obtained or identified by competent 

 observers off the coasts of Haddingtonshire and the Firths of Forth 

 and Tay ; while in the Orkneys four have been taken (two of them 

 in spring). In Ireland, Kingstown Harbour, Belfast Lough, Rathlin 

 Island and Achill Island have each yielded a specimen ; all of them 

 in winter and at long intervals. 



Even on the shores of Holland, Denmark and the Baltic the 

 King-Eider is very rare ; but there is a specimen in the Museum 



