54 
which it breeds. It forms its nest of dry plants of 
various kinds, lining the interior thickly with down 
plucked from the lower parts of the breast of the 
female bird. The nest is found some distance from 
the sea-coast, by the side of some shallow lake, 
where it is placed under a thick bush, or concealed 
among the thick coarse grass. The female lays 
from six to eight eggs of a pale buff hue, tinged 
with green. 
DC Ne: 
King Ewer. 
ANAS SPECTABILIS, Lin. 
This species, which resembles the Common Eider 
in its habits, has been rarely met with in Great 
Britam. A small number are said to have been 
found breeding on one of the Orkney Islands, and 
they have been met with also on the Faroe Islands 
and in Iceland. The King Eider is common in 
many parts of the Arctic regions, to which it 
annually resorts in the breeding season; and but 
few retire far to the south during winter, at which 
season they are not unfrequently met with in the 
Atlantic Ocean, far distant from land. The nest 
and eggs are similar to those of the common species, 
but the eggs are smaller. 
