THE KING ElDEll. 117 



not having occurred soiiili of that group, while Sir Wm. Jardine 

 and Mr. Yarrell merely notice the individual, said by Mr. Jenyns 

 to have been killed in Sussex. According to Mr. St. John, it is 

 rarely seen at the Kyle of Tongue."^ 



The king eider is still more of a northern species than the com- 

 mon eider, and breeds abundantly on the shores and islands of the 

 arctic regions. It does not retire far southward during the winter, 

 but frequents the Northern Atlantic in large flocks. These birds 

 often afforded a valuable supply of fresh provision to the crews 

 of the vessels employed on the arctic voyages. t According to 

 Dr. Eichardson, they " have not been seen to the southward of 

 the 59th parallel."^ 



During a sporting tour to Norway, made in a yacht in the sum- 

 mer and autumn of 1849, by Captain May, late of the Inniskilliug 

 dragoons, and two other officers of that regiment, the common 

 and the king eider were thus observed; — the common species 

 frequently, from the middle of June to September, between 

 Copenhagen and Bodo, and a little to the northward of the latter 

 place. Some were shot on tlie islands of the Kattegat, between 

 Copenhagen and Clu-istiansand, at the first-named period. They 

 became gradually scarcer towards the arctic circle, and far north, 

 towards Hammerfest, none were seen. Here their place was 

 supplied by the king eider, which appeared commonly in the 

 fiords from July till September, from Bodo northwards, and in- 

 creased thence in numbers towards the North Cape. Some of 

 them were killed : they " carried away" a great deal of shot. A 

 few w^ere baked in pies when nothing better could be had, but 

 were considered to have a very strong disagreeable flavour. 



Steller's Western Duck, Somateria ? Stelleri, Pall, (sp.), Ana/i 

 dispar, Sparm., has been included in the British catalogue from a single 

 individual procured in Norfolk, in February 1830. Since the publica- 

 tion of the 2nd edition of Yarrell's work (1845), another of these birds 

 is stated to have been obtuhied — in Yorkshire, in August 1845. || 



* 'Tour in Sutherland,' vol. i. p. 140. f Sir .lames C. Ross. 



X ' Faun. Bor. Anier.,' p. 437. 



!| R. J. Bell, in ' Zoologist' for 1846, vol. iv. p. 1249. 



