ANATID^. 241 



mostly been obtained in the south of the county. The only Somerset 

 Eider we know of is a female which was shot on the reservoir of the 

 waterworks at Barrow, near Bristol, in November 1888 (Zool. 1889, p. 32). 

 The Eider is a very common and well-known bird in the far north, and 

 in many places nests quite tamely close to human habitations, readily 

 making use of boxes provided for its convenience. The well-known and 

 valuable eider-down is i^lucked from the breast of the female bird by 

 herself in order to line her nest, and to cover her eggs and keep them 

 warm while she is away on the water obtaining food. Like all the 

 drakes belonging to the extensive genera of Anas and Faligala, the male' 

 Eiders also undergo a curious summer moult, in which they pass from 

 their brilliant spring plumage into a dark sombre dress, somewhat 

 resembling that of the female bird. 



[King Eider. Somateria spectabilis (Linn.). 



An accidental visitor, of extremely rare occurrence. One, said to have 

 been killed near Plymouth, was seen by Mr. Gatcombe in the flesh at a 

 bird-stiiffer's named Mutton (J. H. G., Zool. 1876, p. 4803). Mr. Howard 

 Saunders says that Mr. Gatcombe states that some years ago he saw an 

 immature bird in Plymouth Market (Yarrell'sB. Birds, 4th ed. iv. p. 464). 

 Possibly these two records relate to the same bird, which might have 

 been brought from Newfoundland or Labrador in a frozen condition in 

 one of the numerous vessels bringing salt-iish to our ports. One year, to 

 our knowledge, several fine adult males were brought to Exeter in the 

 flesh in that manner, were purchased by Messrs. Ross, W. Tombs, and 

 Dr. W. R. Scott, and were fu'eserved in their collections, now in the 

 A. M. M. This very beautiful bird is more of an Arctic species than the 

 Common Eider, its home being to the extreme north of the Old and New 

 "Worlds, and it very seldom indeed comes so far to the south as to be a 

 rare straggler even to the northern coasts of Scotland. The adult male 

 differs considerably from the adult male of the Common Eider both in 

 plumage and in the shape of the bill, which in the King Eider possesses 

 a curious frontal knob. As the supposed Plymouth specimen is the only 

 one which lias ever been recorded from the S.AV. of England, we are 

 disposed to look upon it with the greatest suspicion.] 



\Ohsei'vation. — There is yet another Eider on the British List, two 

 instances of its occurrence being recorded on the Eastern coasts of the 

 Kingdom, one at Yarmouth and the other at Eiley, in Yorkshire. This is, 

 perliaps, the most handsome representative of this beautiful family, and 

 goes by the name of Stellcr's Eider or Steller's Western Luck. Its home 

 is in the extreme north of Europe and Asia. The adult Drake is a 

 singularly beautiful bird, its plumage consisting of various brightly 

 contrasted colours — white, green, and blue oatlie upper parts of the body, 

 and deep ferruginous red on the underparts. Its appearance on the S.W. 

 coasts is hardly to bo expected.] 



II 



