THE KING-EIDER. 175 



least two years subsequently. Saxby never met with it in Shetland, and although 

 occasionally occurring in the Faeroe Islands it is not known to have nested. Mr. 

 Bullock told Colonel Montagu (as recorded in the Supplement to his Dictionary, 

 published in 1813), that he had found this bird breeding in Papa Westra, one of 

 the Orkney Islands, in the latter part of June, and that it laid six yellowish white 

 eggs, rather less than those of the Eider Duck. 



The King-Eider is not known to breed in Iceland, neither on Spitsbergen, 

 but it has long been known as a visitor to the latter country. In Novaya 

 Zemlya, however, it nests commonly, but is the rarest of the two species, and 

 breeding earlier in the year. In 1895, Mr. H. J. Pearson saw nearly two 

 hundred males together at the western entrance to Kostin Schar, but although 

 very diligent search was made over many of the islands off the mainland, not a 

 single clutch of eggs were taken, (" Ibis," 96, p. 222). On Kolguev, Mr. A. 

 Trevor-Battye says it is, after the Long-tailed Duck, the most abundant species, 

 and he did not find the Common Eider there. 



On the mainland of Europe it breeds on the Kanin Peninsula. Captain 

 Wiggins told the late Mr. Seebohm that the King-Eider nested in great numbers 

 on a large island in a bay, near the mouth of the Yenisei. Dr. Bunge met with it 

 on the Great Liakoff Island, and the nest and eggs were found, and between the 

 2Oth and 26th of July, flocks of females were seen. 



Mr. E. W. Nelson, ("Cruise of the Coiivin'"}, says it is very abundant on 

 the Aleutian Islands in winter, and some remain to breed, and in summer along 

 the Siberian coast of Bering Sea and the north-eastern shore of Siberia, but on the 

 Alaska side of the Straits it is very rare. About Port Barrow it was found very 

 abundant, and increasing in numbers as they proceeded north. On the Siberian 

 side, near Cape Wankarem, on August 5th, the natives brought off large numbers, 

 killed with slings, as related under Steller's Eider. These latter and the King- 

 Eider formed the bulk of the flocks of Eider seen. 



Mr. John Murdoch, U.S. Army, (" Report on the Expedition to Point Barrow, 

 1881-3), found the most abundant bird was the King-Eider, flights of thousands 

 passing still further northwards, from the latter part of April, comparatively few 

 remaining to breed in the neighbourhood of the settlement. On the return 

 migration, in autumn, the numbers are not nearly so great. 



In Greenland the King-Eider nests sparingly between 67 and 73, but north 

 of that is much more numerous. Colonel H. W.- Feilden, during the Arctic 

 Expedition, 1875-6, in the end of June, found several flocks of males and females 

 near Floeberg Beach, (lat. 82" 27' N.) ; subsequently several iiests were found with 

 fresh eggs. 



