Mr. E. Adams on the Birds of Michalaski. 435 



and then the female walked off to her nest ; and very soon 

 after the male went out to sea. In about an hour he came 

 back to the lake ; and his mate then joined him ; but I never 

 saw her leave the nest until she heard him cooing on the lake. 

 They remained a short time on the lake playing about and 

 cooing^ and then again went out to sea^ and did not return 

 until the next day. When the old one began to sit the male 

 came in every day and took her out to sea, and again accom- 

 panied her back to the lake ; but I never saw him approach 

 the nest. I left Michalaski before the eggs were hatched. 



Their principal food here is mussels and other small shell- 

 fish, for which they dive in from three to six fathoms of 

 water. One day I counted from the fort 206 of them feeding 

 along a tide-line in the bay ; out of the whole number four 

 only were females. Their note very much resembles the 

 cooing of the Wood-Pigeon often repeated. 



In the general colour of the plumage the male resembles 

 the common Eider [Somaieria mollissima) , except about the 

 head, where the white of the cheeks shades gradually into 

 the green which separates it from the black of the upper 

 part of the head. The white line running backwards from 

 the eye is wanting ; but that separating the green feathers 

 on the nape is present. It has a V-shaped black mark under 

 the throat, similar to that of Somuteria spectabilis ; but the 

 fork extends furthei' backwards. The bill is orange at the 

 base, and shading into gamboge-yellow at the margin, which 

 is of a yellowish horn-colour. The legs are dirty yellow, 

 with a shade of orange, the webs dusky. The female very 

 much resembles the female of the King Duck; but the spots 

 and blotches about the back and scapulars are larger; the 

 bill is dark greenish olive, horn-coloured nail ; legs and 

 toes dusky dirty-looking yellow, with dusky webs ; iris brown 

 in both. 



In form it differs much from the common Eider. The 

 head is larger and more clumsy, and has the the supra-orbital 

 glands more developed, and forming a prominent swelling 

 over the eyes. The bill is wider and more elevated at the 

 base ; and the frontal processes end in very sharp points in- 



