WILD DUCKS. 301 
The king eider (S. spectabilis) has a general blackish 
color in spring, and a forked patch of the same hue, 
on the chin, while the neck, anterior portion of the body, 
and interscapulars of wings are white, the crown and 
nape being cinerous. This species is found as far west as 
the great lakes, where it attains a length of about two feet. 
The black scoter (Gdemia americana) is generally 
black. The male has a peculiarly swollen, orange-colored 
KING EIDER DUCK. 
bill, which is shorter than the head, and a tail of sixteen 
feathers. The female, which has not the turgid man- 
dible of the other, is sooty-brown above, and grayish be- 
neath. The length of an adult male is about two feet. 
The western range of this species rarely goes beyond the 
Mississippi River. 
The white-winged coot (Gdemia fusca), which is 
also known as the bell-tongued coot, white-winged 
surf duck, and the velvet scoter, is more abundant 
than the preceding, but its geographical range is about 
the same. The male, which is black, has a short black 
