WILD DUCKS. 



501 



The king eider {S. spectahilis) has a general blackish 

 color in spring, aud a forked patch of the same hue, 

 on the chin, while the neck, anterior portion of the body, 

 and interscapulars of wings are white, the crown and 

 nape being cinerous. This species is found as far west as 

 the great lakes, where it attains a length of about two feet. 



The black scoter {(Edemia americana) is generally 

 black. The male has a peculiarly swollen, orange-colored 



KINO EIDER DUCK. 



bill, which is shorter than the head, and a tail of sixteen 

 feathers. The female, which has not the turgid man- 

 dible of the other, is sooty-brown above, and grayish be- 

 neath. The length of an adult male is about two feet. 

 The western range of this species rarely goes beyond the 

 Mississippi Eiver. 



The white-winged coot {(Edemia fusca), which is 

 also known as the bell-tongued coot, white-winged 

 surf duck, and the velvet scoter, is more abundant 

 than the preceding, but its geographical range is about 

 the same. The male, which is black, has a short black 



