648 



and its mode of nidification resembles that of that species. It frequents the coast, and is 

 generally met with far out, except during the breeding-season, and is, moreover, very seldom 

 seen on inland waters. Its food consists chiefly of shell-fish of various kinds. Mr. Thompson, 

 who examined the stomach of a female shot in Belfast Bay, says that it " was filled with the 

 remains of Crustacea and mollusca, viz. an Inachus of middle size, the largest Portunus arcuatus 

 that I had seen (and perfect excepting the arms), a Nucula ynargaritacea, and a small buckie 

 whelk (Buccinum undatum)." Mr. Collett informs me that he dissected a couple of adult males 

 shot at Tromso in January 1877, and found their stomachs full of mollusca, chiefly of Pecten 

 islandicus, Cyprina islandica, and Mytilus modiola : some of these were broken ; but in one of 

 the birds he found five uninjured specimens of P. islandicus, the shells of which measured more 

 than an inch in diameter ; and in the ventriculus there were several entire examples of the same 

 species. 



I have examined a fine series of eggs of the present species obtained by Captain Feilden 

 in 82° 27' N. lat., and have several in my own collection from North Greenland. All these 

 resemble the eggs of the common Eider in shape and coloration, but are less in size, measuring 

 from 2|§ by Iff to 2f£ by Iff inch. 



The specimens figured are the adult male and female above described, and are both in my 

 own collection. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. H. E. Dresser. 



a,<J,b,2. Archangel, September 15th, 1873 (Piotluch) . c,<3, d,%. Greenland (Erichsen) . e, 6 ad. Franklin 

 Bay, Arctic America, July 5th, 1864 (M'Farlane). f,Sjuv.,g,2- June 30th, 1863, Arctic America 



(M'Farlane) . 



E Mus. Howard Saunders. 

 a, j ad., b, 6 juv. N.W. Iceland {Proctor). 



E Mus. E. Hargitt. 

 a, 2 ■ Stromness Harbour, Orkney, December 11th, 1869 (/. H. Dunn), b, $ . Near Stromness, May 22nd, 

 1868 {E. Hargitt) . 



