38 Allen's naturalist's library, 



adjoin the breast, which, with the rest of the under surface 

 of the body, is black ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white ; 

 quill-hning grey ; bill dull olive-green, almost olive-yellow in 

 old birds ; nail brownish-white ; feet light olive-green, the claws 

 brownish-black ; iris brown. Total length, 23 inches ; culmen, 

 2*1 ; wing, ii'o; tail, ^'6; tarsus, 2'o. 



Adult Female. — Brown above, mottled with blackish centres to 

 the feathers and with rufous bars, the feathers being edged with 

 this colour; the head and neck evCjC^ywhere thickly streaked 

 with blackish ; wing-coverts brown, the greater series tipped 

 with ashy-whitish, forming a wing-bar ; quills brown, the 

 secondaries ashy-whitish externally, with a dark brown base, 

 forming a second wing-bar ; under surface of body lighter 

 brown, with fulvescent cross-bars, the chest slightly more 

 rufcscent, and barred with black, the flanks more broadly 

 banded with rufous and black ; under wing-coverts brown, a 

 few of the centre ones white; bill and feet as in the male. 



Young Males. — Brown like the females, but much darker and 

 more uniform, with the light margins to the feathers very in- 

 distinct ; the greater coverts and secondaries narrowly tipped 

 with white, forming two obsolete wing-bars ; the sides of the 

 head blackish in the males and brown in the females ; throat 

 ashy-brown ; remainder of under surface of body pale brown, 

 with numerous whitish cross-lines, which are brought into relief 

 by dusky sub-terminal bars. 



In the breeding-season the males assume a hen-like plumage, 

 which, according to Count Salvador!, is like that of the young 

 male, but generally shows some white and black feathers re- 

 maining. 



Nestling. — Dark brown above, pale brown below, with a 

 broad streak over each eye. 



Range in Great Britain. — The breeding-range of the Common 

 Eider Duck lies to the north of the British Islands, from the 

 Fame Islands and the coast of Northumberland north to the 

 Orkneys and Shetland Isles. It is also on the increase in the 

 western islands of Scotland, but is unknown as a breeding-bird 

 in Ireland, where, indeed, it is only a rare visitor. In the 

 winter it is met with off the coast of England. 



