214 MERGANSEPJN.E. 



To this duck we are indebted for the eider down of com- 

 merce, so remarkable for lightness and elasticity, and obtained 

 from the nest of the bird, having been plucked from her breast 

 to serve the purposes of lining; and on this account the birds 

 are protected along the Norwegian isles, which they frequent 

 for breeding. At one period existing in considerable numbers 

 at the island of Lindisfarne, it received the familiar appella- 

 tion of St. Cuthbert's duck, named after the saint who lived 

 there. 



Habitat Northern Europe. 



SPECIES 206 THE KING EIDER. 



Somateria spectabilis. Jenyns. 



Canard a tete grise. Temm. 



King Duck. 



THE KING EIDER, whose bill is more extraordinary in ap- 

 pearance than the preceding, has on each side of the base 

 a large oval protuberance, of a rich vermillion red when 

 newly killed. Of similar rarity, it has only occurred in four 

 instances, one of which was shot at Kingstown Harbour, in the 

 county of Dublin, about the 1st of October, 1837, and came 

 into the possession of Mr. R. Ball a few hours after. When 

 first seen it was accompanied by two others. The specimen 

 is now preserved in the University Museum, Dublin.* Two 

 others were subsequently obtained by Robert Chute, Esq., 

 one from Tralee Bay, and the other from the neighbourhood 

 of Derrynane, county of Kerry. 

 Habitat Northern Europe. 



FAMILY XXXVI. MERGANSERIN^ (MERGANSERS). 



GENUS CI MERGUS (MERGANSER). 



SPECIES 207 THE SMEW. 



Mergus allellus. Linn. 



Harle piette. Temm. 



White Nun. Magpie Diver. 



THE SMEW, or WHITE NUN, as this species is commonly de- 

 nominated, presents one of the most beautiful appearances of 

 any of the birds comprising the family. 



* Thompson. 



