I08 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



own observations show this species to be strictly Umited to the 

 salt marshes bordering the east coast of Bering sea, thus favouring 

 the shallow, muddy, coast waters, which appear to be distasteful 

 to Steller duck. {Nelson.) This bird is common in the vicinity 

 of St. Michael, where it arrives early in May. Along the coast of 

 Bristol bay it is very abundant; it occurs among all the Aleutian 

 islands, where it breeds and is a constant resident, but extremely 

 shy. {Turner.) This bird was found to be a regular, though rather 

 rare, summer visitor at Point Barrow. It evidently breeds not far 

 from the station, as a female was taken in June, 1883, with an egg 

 in the oviduct just ready for laying. {Murdoch.) 



Breeding NoxES.^In the vicinity of St. Michael this species 

 rarely arrives before the 15th of May. Very soon after reaching 

 their destination the flocks disband and the birds quietly pair, but 

 the first eggs are rarely laid earlier than the first of June. Most of 

 my eggs were taken fresh between the loth and 20th of this month, 

 and I obtained the young just out of the egg on July 23rd. When 

 first paired the birds choose a pond in a marsh, and are henceforth 

 found in its vicinity until the young are hatched. When the grass 

 commences to show green and the snow and ice are nearly gone, 

 these ducks choose some dry, grassy spot close to a pond, and mak- 

 ing a slight hollow with a warm lining of grass, they commence the 

 duties of the season, although the other denizens of the marsh are 

 already well on with their house-keeping. One nest found on June 

 15th was on a bed of dry grass on the border of the pond, within a 

 foot of the water, and when the female flew off, the single egg could 

 be seen 20 j^ards away. Tussocks of dry grass, small islands in 

 ponds, and knolls close to the water's edge are all chosen as nesting 

 places, and as a rule the nest is well concealed by the dry grass 

 standing about. The eggs usually number from five to eight or 

 nine in a set and are small for the size of the bird. In colour they 

 are of a light olive-drab. {Nelson.) 



LXII. SOMATERIA Leach. 1819. 

 159. Greenland Eider. Northern Eider. 



Somateria mollissima horealis C. L. Brehm. 1830. 



Common along all the coasts of Greenland; northern limit un- 

 known. {Arct. Man.) A resident at Ivigtut and very abundant. 

 {Hagerup.) Abundant in Hudson strait; breeds in Ungava bay. 



