THE KING EIDER. 199 



placed on a spot higher than twenty feet above the 

 sea level ; the nest contains five or six eggs, as large 

 as those of a goose, and are grayish -green in colour. 

 When the pairing season approaches, the male birds 

 assemble on their fighting grounds and contend for 

 the possession of the females ; these latter stand 

 quietly looking on to witness the combats, and appear 

 to view with complacency the prowess of their fa- 

 vourites. 



The king eider (Somateria spectabilis). This beau- 

 tiful species is common enough in Iceland and Spitz- 

 bergen ; it frequently visits the Loffoden Islands and 

 the west coast of Finmark, but is seldom seen in any 

 other part of Norway ; the Swedes call it the prcikt- 

 ejder, or beautiful eider, and it well deserves the name. 



The following is a brief description of the male 

 bird of this species : Crown of the head and nape of 

 the neck, pale lavender or mauve ; cheeks, light sea- 

 green ; the base of the maxilla has a black line which 

 runs along each side of the throat, and is triangular in 

 shape; breast, pale pink; back and mantle, snow* 

 white ; shoulders, lower parts of the back, stern, and 

 tail, black ; secondaries, white ; tertials and quills, 

 black ; belly, vent, and under tail-coverts, black ; 

 sides, snow-white ; bill, legs, and feet, brown-red ; 

 irides, orange-red. The contrast and brilliancy of the 

 colours give the bird a charming appearance. A knob 

 or protuberance rises from the root of the bill, the 

 upper edge of which is lined with short white feathers, 

 while the outer edge is covered with short, black 

 feathers, as smooth as velvet ; the colour of this knob 

 is brown-red. The female resembles the common 

 eider, except she is not so clumsy-looking. 



