1Q4 A. L. V. Manniche. 



During their excursions in the field, the always flew very low 

 and sometimes uttered a shght growling or grunting sound. 



The King-Eider, which at this season always stayed in the fresh 

 waters on the mainland, on which it undoubtedly exclusively nests, 

 hereby forms a contrast to S. mollissima, which almost always 

 takes to the cracks or openings in the sea-ice. I never saw the 

 King-Eiders on islands or near these. 



The males disappeared at the end of June after which the fe- 

 males gathered in small flocks. 



Every day they used to fly from the lakes and ponds inland 

 down to the bay and especially to the mouth of Stormelven, in 

 which they would lie and dive for food. They used to lie for hours 

 on the grass-clad beaches of the lake in order to rest or to sleep 

 with their heads hidden under their wings. 



At the end of July the last females left the lakes at Stormkap. 



The King-Eider arrived in the summer 1908 on June 16"\ a few 

 days later than the preceding summer. 



I counted some 20 pairs of nesting birds, which exactly corre- 

 sponded to, what I observed on the same territory in 1907. In the 

 beginning of July the majority of the females were occupied in 

 breeding, and the males disappeared. A few barren females could 

 be seen till the last days of July. 



I did not succeed in finding nests wàth eggs but all the old 

 nests I found at Stormkap proved, that this bird nests singly. The 

 nests were placed on the lower slopes with luxuriant vegetation or 

 on small hills in the lowland with large stones surrounded by grass. 



None of the observed nests were far from the bay (as a maxi- 

 mum one kilometer). I think, that the young ones soon after their 

 emergence were directed to this. 



The down from the nests was very dark coloured, nearly black, 

 and by this they may be distinguished from that of the common 

 Eider. 



I secured some breeding females whose breasts and bellies were 

 nearly naked. 



The females would in the breeding season sometimes leave the 

 nest for a short while and fly to the nearest pond for the purpose 

 of bathing and seeking food. Like many other birds the King-Eider 

 is irritable and quarrelsome at this period. One evening I observed 

 a female, w^hich had just left her nest. She flew quickly straight 

 towards me and so low, that she seemed to touch the earth with 

 the tips of her wings. I was standing on the beach of a pond with 

 shallow water. Uttering an angry grunting she circled around and 

 quite near to me and then flew to the pond. Having quenched her 



