SOMATERIA 631 



873. EIDER. 

 SOMATERIA MOLLISSIMA. 



Somateria moltissima (Linn.), Syst. Nat. i. p. 198 (1766) ; (Naum.), xii. 

 p. 252, Taf. 321 ; Hewitson, ii. p. 414, pi. cxv. fig. 3 ; Gould, B. of 

 E. v. pi. 374 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. v. pi. 26 ; Dresser, vi. p. 629, 

 pi. 445 ; Salvador!, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxvii. p. 425 ; Saunders, p. 459 ; 

 Lilford, vii. p. 123, pi. 52. 



Morillon, Eider, French ; Eider gans, German ; Eider eend, 

 Dutch ; Edderand, Dan. ; Ejdergds, Estegg, Norweg. ; Ejder, 

 Swed. ; JEdur, Icel. ; $ Bliki, Handa, Lapp. ; Haahka, Finn. ; 

 Gagka Nor mot a, Russ. 



ad. (Norway). Crown, forehead, and a wedge half-way to the 

 nostrils black ; a white line on the sides of the crown, nape and hind 

 portion of the auricular region pale sea-green ; cheeks, sides of neck, back, 

 lesser and median tail-coverts white ; lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, 

 -and greater wing-coverts black ; quills blackish brown, the inner 

 secondaries sickle-shaped and white ; tail greyish brown ; throat white 

 tinged with yellow on the lower part ; upper breast pale stone-colour ; 

 rest of under parts black with a white patch on each [side of the rump ; 

 bill dull yellowish olivaceous ; legs light olive-green ; iris brown. 

 C ul men 2'3, wing 11'6, tail 4*0, tarsus 1'75 inch. The female is dark 

 brown barred and marked with sandy rufous, the sides of face and throat 

 sandy, speckled with black ; two white alar bars ; -middle of abdomen 

 greyish brown with traces of black cross-bars. In the summer the male 

 is chiefly dark brown or blackish, retaining the white only on the wing- 

 coverts. 



Hob. Europe, in the northern portions up to the northern 

 end of the Gulf of Bothnia and the Arctic Ocean ; Iceland ; the 

 Faeroes ; Spitsbergen ; occurs in winter on the coasts of 

 continental Europe and has been obtained as far south as the 

 Mediterranean ; Northern Asia east to the Yenesei. The form 

 inhabiting Greenland and eastern' Arctic America (S. borealis, 

 Brehm) is doubtfully distinct. On the Atlantic coasts of N. 

 America it is replaced by S. dresseri, Sharpe, differing but little 

 in having the angle on the side of the forehead broad and 

 rounded, and the black of the head bordered beneath by pale 

 green for nearly its entire length. 



Inhabits the sea-coasts, being but seldom found inland, and 

 feeds on crustaceans, mussels, marine insects, &c., which ifc 

 obtains chiefly by diving. The call-note of the male is a toler- 

 ably loud ali-oTi, and that of the female a loud crock-crock. It 

 breeds chiefly on islands off the sea-coast, and being in many 



