THE KING EIDER DUCK. 41 



II. THE KING EIDER. SOMATERIA SPECTABILIS. 



Anas spectabiliS) Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 195 (1766). 

 Somateria spectabilis, Macg. Brit. B. v. p. 158 (1852) ; Dresser, 

 B. Eur. vii. p. 643, pi. 446 (1877) ; B. O. U. List Br. B. 

 p. 134 (1883); Saunders, ed. Yarr. Br. B. iv. p. 463 

 (1885); Seebohm, Brit. B. iii. p. 621 (1885); Saunders, 

 Man. Brit. B. p. 449 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B. 

 part xxx. (1895) ; Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 432 

 (1895). 



Adult Male. General colour above black, the scapulars and 

 wing-coverts with a patch of white in the middle of the lesser 

 and median series, the greater coverts with a small white spot 

 at the end ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills black, 

 the secondaries tipped with white, the innermost sickle-shaped ; 

 on each side of the rump a large patch of white ; upper tail- 

 coverts and tail black ; crown of head and nape and sides 

 of the hinder head delicate lavender-grey ; the hind-neck and 

 upper mantle pure white ; at the base of the bill a velvety- 

 black spot, continued round the bare loral space and reaching 

 nearly to the eye, and descending nearly to the base of the 

 mandible ; sides of face delicate green, separated from the 

 lavender-grey of the sides of the neck by a narrow band of 

 white, margined by a few black lines ; fore-part of lores and 

 cheeks whiter ; throat white, with a V-shaped mark of black ; 

 fore-neck creamy-buff; rest of under surface from the chest 

 downwards black ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white, with 

 the coverts round the edge of the wing dusky-brown, with 

 whitish spots at the ends ; quill-lining ashy ; bill with the base 

 of the upper mandible spread out into a shield on each side, 

 reddish-orange; feet orange-red, the membrane darker; iris 

 yellow. Total length, 24 inches; culmen, 1*4; wing, 10*7; 

 tail, 2 -8; tarsus, 1-8. 



Adult Female. Rufous, mottled with black centres to the 

 feathers ; the head and neck streaked with blackish ; wing- 

 coverts blackish, with rufous edgings to the lesser and median 

 series, the inner greater coverts with white tips, forming a 

 small band ; the innermost secondaries slightly sickle-shaped, 

 blackish edged with rufous ; quills black, a few of the second- 

 aries fringed with white at the ends ; tail brown ; throat 



