462 KINCx-EIDER. 



at Boulogne, and one was obtained near Venice on August 21st 1888. 

 It is only a visitor to Iceland, the Faeroes and the coast of Norway, 

 and there is as yet no proof of its breeding in Spitsbergen, which, 

 however, it frequents ; but it nests on Kolguev, Novaya Zemlya, and 

 along the Arctic shores of Siberia as far as Bering Sea. Crossing 

 eastward to America, it has been found in summer nearly as far 

 north as man has penetrated, and its southern nesting-limit is in 

 the Province of Quebec ; while in winter it occurs on the coast of 

 America as well as on the great fresh-water lakes, down to the latitude 

 of New York, and it has been recorded from California. In West 

 Greenland it nests near Godhavn and Upernavik, though by no 

 means so plentiful there as the Common Eider. 



The nest is similar to that of our Eider, and the eggs, which are 

 not known to exceed 6 in number, present the same varied shades 

 of green ; but they are decidedly smaller, measuring about 2 "6 by 

 I "9 in. The food consists chiefly of crustaceans and molluscs. 



The adult male has the bill and the naked basal tubercle orange- 

 red, the latter margined with black ; cheeks sea-green and white ; 

 top of the head and nape bluish-grey ; neck buffish-white ; upper back 

 whiter ; wing-coverts white, showing conspicuously on the otherwise 

 sooty wing ; the elongated black inner secondaries falling in curves 

 over the primaries ; lower back and upper tail-coverts black ; tail- 

 feathers dark brown ; under the chin a black chevron ; front of neck 

 white ; upper breast rich buff; lower breast, belly, and under surface 

 black, except a white patch on each flank ; legs and toes orange-red, 

 webs darker. Length 21 in. ; wing 10-5 in. The female has the beak 

 greenish ; the entire plumage of two shades of brown, the darker 

 colour occupying the centre of each feather of the back, while the 

 margins are bright rufous ; the brown on the head and neck being 

 rather lighter. She is smaller than the female of the Common 

 Eider, and the central lines of feathers on the upper mandible run 

 as far as a line with the nostrils, though more in the direction of 

 the commisures of the bill, whereas in the female Common Eider 

 these lines hardly reach half way. The plumage of the young drake 

 is at first like that of the female, but afterwards the head and neck 

 become yellowish-grey, spotted with black, and a great deal of the 

 latter colour appears on the upper as well as the under parts, while 

 the buff gorget becomes well defined, but no white appears on the 

 wing-coverts till much later. The male does not attain full plumage 

 until nearly four years old. 



