206 ANATID.E. 



Spitzbergen were smaller than those in the seas of Greenland. 

 To the westward these birds were noticed in Davis** Straits, 

 Baffin'^s Bay, and on each of the Arctic voyages performed 

 by Sir Edward Parry and others. The Eider Duck is also 

 found in the northern parts of North America, as will be 

 found by a reference to the ornithological works of Dr. Rich- 

 ardson, Mr. Audubon, and Wilson. 



In the adult male the beak is dusky green ; the nail 

 white ; the irides brown ; top of the head velvet black ; lore 

 and checks white ; ear-coverts and occiput pale green ; back, 

 scapulars, tertials, point of wing, and ^nailer wing-coverts 

 white ; greater wing-coverts black ; wing primaries and se- 

 condaries dull black ; the tertials elongated, and falling partly 

 over them ; rump black ; tail-feathers dull black ; chin and 

 upper part of neck in front white ; lower part of neck pale 

 buff; breast, belly, sides, and all the under surface black, 

 except a patch on the flank, which is white ; legs, toes, and 

 their membranes dusky green. The whole length twenty-five 

 inches. From the point of the wing to the end of the longest 

 quill-feather eleven inches. 



Mr. Robert Dunn says the males vary very much at dif- 

 ferent seasons of the year : that part which in the winter is 

 pure white, in the summer becomes mottled with black, in 

 some birds much more so than in others. 



Young males of the Eider are at first like the adult female, 

 but when changing in their first winter the head and neck are 

 mottled with two shades of dark brown, witli a few white 

 feathers appearing through in different parts ; lower portion 

 of neck, and upper part of the back, mottled black and white ; 

 wing-coverts and tertials becoming white ; the rest of the 

 l)lumage black ; legs and bill greenish-grey. The pure white 

 colour is assumed by slow degrees, and the males do not attain 

 the appearance of adult birds till their third winter. 



The female in colour is like the hen of the Black Grouse, 



