402 
Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 
ANATIDA—continued. 
America. 
Somateria mollissima.* (L.) Boie. 
The Arctic and Atlantic coasts of the 
Northern Hemisphere, and Pacific 
coast of North America. (Baird, 
Cassin, and Lawrence.) 
Sharpe regards the American Eider as 
distinct, under the name of S. dresseri, 
with the bill more gibbous, and the bare 
space behind the nostrils more extended 
than in S. mollissima. Both prob- 
ably occur in Greenland, the latter in 
East Greenland, and S. dresseri from 
Davis’ Strait northward. (Newton.) 
Mr. Dresser says S. mollissima does not 
occur in America, but is there repre- 
sented by S. spectabilis. 
Somateria spectabilis.* (L.) 
Arctic Regions. The Pacific coast of 
North America. (Baird, Cassin, and 
Lawrence. ) 
Breeds in Greenland. (Newton. ) 
Edemiaamericana.* Swainson. (American 
Scoter. ) 
The sea coast of North America. (Baird, 
Cassin, and Lawrence. ) 
The bill is broader and the gibbosity less 
elevated and wider than in the 
European bird. Entirely orange from 
the frontal feathers to the nostrils, 
whilst in the European bird the yellow 
begins at the base of the tuberosity, 
surrounds the nostrils, and occupies 
only the centre of the middle portion 
of the bill. The basal protuberance in 
the American bird is single, with a 
medial simosity; in the European it 
is formed by two hemispheres. 
(Degland and Gerbe, Vol. II., p. 562.) 
(demia perspicillata.* 
(L.) Steph. 
(Surf Scoter. ) 
Abundant on both coasts of North 
America. In the Atlantic it goes 
south as far as North Carolina, 
and has oceurred at Charleston; in 
the Pacific it is found down to San 
Pedro. (Dresser.) 
A few have occurred 
(Newton.) 
Rare in the Antilles. (Sclater and Salvin.) 
in Greenland. 
Europe. 
Somateria mollissima.* (L.) Boie. (Eider 
Duck.) 
The north of Northern Europe, Scandin- 
avia; migrating south in winter to 
Holland, France, and the British Isles. 
(Dresser. ) 
Somateria spectabilis.* (L.) (King Duck.) 
North of Northern Europe and Siberia. 
Four have been taken in England, and 
four in Ireland (Harting’s hand- 
beok), viz. :— 
One in Kingstown Harbour, Ist Oct., 
1837. (Thompson’s Nat. Hist. 
Treland, Birds, Vol. III., p. 116.) 
One in the County of Kerry, winter of 
1843. (Thomp., op. cit.) 
One in Tralee Bay, Co. Kerry, winter 
of 1845-46. (Thomp., op. cit.) 
One on Belfast Bay, 11th March, 
1850. (Thomp, op. cit.) 
Accidental in France. (Degland and 
Gerbe, Vol. II., p. 559.) 
GEdemia nigra.* (L.) Flem. 
Northern Europe and Northern Asia, 
according to Mr. Dresser, breeding in 
Northern Scandinavia, numerous on 
the coast of Novaya Zemlya and 
Northern Russia. In winter it visits 
Northern Germany, Holland, the 
British Isles, and France. Common 
at Gibraltar and Tangier. (Colonel 
Irby.) Occasional in Southern 
Germany. The Azores. (Godman.) 
In Asia it is confined to the north. 
(Edemia perspicillata. 
According to Mr. Dresser, ten or eleven 
have occurred in Britain, of which 
two were in Ireland and two in Scilly. 
It has occurred also in Northern 
Europe, Heligoland(Blasius), Flanders, 
Artois, Piccardy, and Normandy. 
(Degland and Gerbe ) 3 
