54 



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. 



DUCK, KING. 

 KING EIDER. 



ANAS SPECTABILIS, Lin. 



The King Duck, which resembles the Common 

 Eider in its habits, has been rarely met with in 

 Great Britain. 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 uiifrequently 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. 



