The terrestrial mammals and birds of North-East Greenland. 105 



thirst and by a pair of quick bounds under tlie surface put her 

 feathers in order, she swam straight towards me all the while utte- 

 ring a peculiar growling and hissing; the feathers on her head were 

 erected, and she seemed to be very much displeased at my presence; 

 now and then she cackled in the shallow water like a domestic 

 duck again to show her displeasure. 



I secured the King-Eider in order to assure myself that she was 

 a breeding bird and found her to be very thin and nearly naked 

 on her belly. In the season in which the King-Eider lives in fresh 

 Avater its food consists principally of plants. In the stomachs, which 

 I examined, I found however many remnants of insects, especially 

 larvæ of gnats. In the stomachs of downy young ones I found 

 indeterminable remnants of crustaceans, plants and small stones. 



I found no difference worth mentioning in the exterior of the 

 males except in the V formed mark on the throast, which varied 

 a good deal in extent and intensity. 



The females on the contrary vary a good deal. Some birds — 

 very old ones I think — were very pale, the others were rather 

 dark. 



A female killed (pale in colour) had a well dcA'eloped promin- 

 ence on the forehead; in other females I found a fainter indication 

 of such. 



For the zoological museum in Copenhagen were collected the 

 skins of 4 old birds and 3 downy young in spirit. 



The following measurements have been taken: 



Sex Age Date Locality 



c? ad. -^/б 07 Stormkap 



d" - ^^'б07 Lakeattheship'sharbour 263 



$ - -^/g07 Stormkap 



? - 1^^/8 06 — 



Red-breasted Merganser. Mergiis serrator L. 



But once I met with this species. 



On my last visit to Renskæret in the night of July 21^* 

 1908 an old female passed me trice, while I was standing on the 



' From the hind part of the nostril to the tip of the bill. This different mode 

 of measuring has been chosen because the prominence varies very much in 

 length and extent. 



