643 



SOMATERIA SPECTABILIS. 



(KING EIDER.) 



The Grey-headed Duck, Edw. Nat. Hist. Birds, iii. p. 154, pi. 154 (1750). 



Anas freti-hudsonis, Briss. Orn. vi. p. 366 (1760). 



Anas spectabilis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 195 (1766). 



Canard a Ute grise, Buff. Hist. Nat. Ois. ix. p. 253 (1783). 



Bering Goose, Lath. Synop. iii. p. 465. no. 24 (1785). 



Anas beringii, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 508 (1788, ex Lath.). 



Somateria spectabilis (L.), Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 564. 



Platypus spectabilis (L.), C. L. Brehm, Lehrbuch Naturg. eur. Vog. ii. p. 816 (1824). 



Fuligula spectabilis (L.), Bp. Synops. p. 389. no. 332 (1828). 



Somateria megarhynchos, C. L. Brehm, Vogelfang, p. 389 (1855). 



Somateria altensteini, C. L. Brehm, Vogelfang, p. 389 (1855). 



Canard a Ute grise, French; Prachtente, Pracht-Eiderente, German; Pragt-edder-and, 

 Danish ; Eave Jcongur, Faeroese ; Siorakitsok, <S Kingalik, 2 Kaiortok, Arnauiartak, Green- 

 landic ; JE'&urkongur, Icelandic ; Pragt-Edderfugl, Spitsbergs-Edderfugl, Norwegian ; 

 Prakt-Ejder, Swedish ; Pulska-haakka, Finnish ; Pistrak, Russian. 



Figurce notabiles. 



Edwards, Nat. Hist. B. pi. 154 ; Werner, Atlas, Palmipedes, pi. 47; Kjserb. Orn. Dan. taf. 49 ; 

 Naumann, Vog. Deutschl. taf. 322. fig. 2, and taf. 323 ; Sundevall, Svensk. Fogl. pi. 60. 

 figs. 3, 4; Gould, B. of Eur. pi. 375; id. B. of G. Brit. v. pi. 27; Audub. B. of Am. 

 pi. 404. 



cJ ad. pileo et nucha cseruleo-canis, capitis lateribus pallide viridibus, gibbo raaximo ad basin rostri centraliter 

 stria nigra notato et nigro marginato : dorso antico, tectricibus alarum centraliter et plaga, magna 

 utrinque in uropygio albis : corpore supra reliquo, alis et cauda nigris : remigibus secundariis falcatis : 

 gula alba, macula nigra postice bipartite notata et vitta suboculari nigra : gutture et pectore superiore 

 ochraceo-isabellinis : corpore reliquo subtiis nigro : rostro rubro, gibbo aurantiaco : pedibus rubro- 

 aurantiacis, membrana. natatoria. nigricante : iride fusca. 



5 ad. Somateria mollissimce similis sed minor, coloribus saturatioribus, rostro usque ad nares plumato. 



Adult Male (Greenland) . Crown and nape pale ashy blue, this colour extending along the side of the head 

 in a line from the eye ; sides of the head otherwise pale green ; a large protuberance on the upper 

 mandible, over the centre of which is a line of black feathers continued broadly on each side down to 

 the gape ; a black spot under each eye and a large black V-shaped mark from the chin along the sides 

 of the upper throat ; upper part of the back, central portion of the lesser wing-coverts, and a large 

 patch on each side of the rump pure white ; rest of the upper parts, tail, and wings black ; the 

 inner secondaries rather elongated and curved outwards; upper throat pure white; lower throat to 



