KING EIDER. 623 



yards from the beacli^ lined only with down. The King Eider nests on the 

 coast of the mainland as well as on the islands in the Arctic Seas. The 

 eggs of the King Eider are usually six in number, and vary much less 

 in colour than those of the Common Eider, being pale greenish grey. 

 They vary in length from 2-6 to 2-15 inch, and in breadth from 1*85 to 1-7 

 inch. They can very easily be confused with those of the Red-breasted 

 Merganser, but may be detected by their greener colour. The down of the 

 King Eider very closely resembles that of the Common Eider. 



In winter the King Eider assembles in large flocks or small parties, 

 according to its abundance in the district. They do not wander far, not 

 being at all inconvenienced by the intense cold, and only leaving their high 

 northern retreat when the water becomes frozen. During the cruise of the 

 ' Corwin ' in the Arctic Ocean King Eiders were seen near Wrangel Island 

 sitting on the ice and gazing stupidly at the vessel, allowing it to approach 

 them within fifty or sixty yards, when they splashed off into the water and 

 took wing. Unlike the Common Eider this bird not unfrequently flies 

 over the land, and often takes a short cut from one part of the sea to 

 another. In North-eastern Siberia the natives kill large numbers with 

 slings as they fly in flocks over a narrow strip of land. 



The King Eider is a smaller bird than the Common Eider. The adult 

 male in nuptial dress has the same general distribution of colour as 'in 

 the commoner species, but differs from it in the following important 

 respects : — The base of the upper mandible is spread out into a shield on 

 each side, separated on the forehead by a line of black feathers, which 

 are continued to the gape ; there is a black V-shaped mark on the upper 

 throat pointing towards the chin ; an emerald-green mark extends from 

 the lores under the eye and above the ear-coverts ; the crown and nape 

 are pale bluish grey; the scaj)ulars and innermost secondaries are black; 

 the bill and feet are orange, and the irides are yellow. The adult female 

 resembles that of the commoner species, but the feathers on the forehead 

 project beyond those on the side of the bill instead of extending little 

 more than half as far. Young in first plumage may easily be distinguished 

 from those of the allied species by the difi'erence of the feathering at the 

 base of the upper mandible : males differ from females in having traces of 

 the dark lines on the throat and margin of the bill. Males in first nuptial 

 dress have a very small shield, and only a few of the wing-coverts are 

 white. Males in moulting-dress closely resemble males in first plumage, 

 but may always be distinguished by their bills. Young in down resemble 

 those of the Common Eider, but may always be distinguished by the 

 down on the forehead projecting beyond that on the sides of the bill. 



