( 523 ) 

 THE KING DUCK. 



FULIGULA SPECTABILIS, BoNAP. 



PLATE CCLXXVI. Male akd Female. 



This beautiful species rarely advances farther south along our eastern 

 coast than the neighbourhood of the Bay of Boston. I have, however, been 

 assured by old and trustworthy gunners that the King Duck, about thirty 

 years ago, was by no means of rare occurrence there during winter, and that 

 a few had been known to breed in company with the Eider along the coast. 

 At the period of my arrival at Labrador, the greater number of the King 

 Ducks had proceeded farther north ; and although some were seen there, 

 we found none of their nests. I can say nothing of the habits of this 

 bird, which, although they may be similar to those of the Eider, must 

 yet differ in many particulars, as is the case with all birds that are nearly 

 allied in form. The eggs of the King Duck collected by Captain James 

 Clark Ross, R. N., measure two inches and five-eighths by one inch and 

 three-fourths, and liave a smooth shell, of an uniform dull greenish-co- 

 lour. 



Anas spectabilis, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. ii. p. 198 — Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 8-15. 

 FuLiGULA SPECTABILIS, Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 389. 

 SoMATEHiA SPECTABILIS, KiNG DucK, Swains. and Richards. Fauna-Bor. Amer. 



part ii. p. 447. 

 King Duck, Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 414. 



Adult Male. Plate CCLXXVI. Fig. 1. 



Bill shorter than the head, much deeper than broad afrthe base, some- 

 what depressed towards the end, which is broad and rounded. Upper 

 mandible with a soft tumid compressed substance at the base, extending 

 perpendicularly upon the forehead, and by a medial band of feathers di- 

 vided into two broad lobes, the dorsal line beyond this descending to the 

 unguis, then slightly curved, the ridge broadly convex, the sides sloping 

 and convex, the edges perpendicular, with about forty-five narrow inter- 



