332 PROCEEDINGS: BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 



that birds from the interior or even from the heads of inlets moved to the 

 coast in the fall migration southward. Probably, however, the birds were 

 nearly extirpated by the time of Coues' visit, and his testimony is based 

 merely on hearsay. Dutcher also corrects the statement that a female with 

 a brood of young was observed by members of the Bowdoin college expedition 

 in 1891, 200 miles up the Grand River, Hamilton Inlet. The birds were prob- 

 ably Golden-eyes. 



There appear to be but three Labrador specimens of this duck extant, 

 according to Dutcher; one in the American museum of natural history, an 

 adult male (no. 3739) from the Wied collection; and a pair formerly in the 

 possession of Sir Joseph Banks that came from Labrador (Latham, Gen. 

 hist, birds, 1804, vol. 10, p. 318).] 



Somateria mollissima borealis (Brehm). 



Greenland Eider. 



Abundant summer resident on the eastern coast and on the west 

 coast of Richmond Gulf, north of Hamilton Inlet; transient visitor 

 in the southern part. 



Packard says: "Abundant in Hudson Strait. Eggs, young, 



adults procured in Ungava Bay." It is probably the common breed- 

 ing Eider on the Hudson Bay coast north of latitude 56°. Bigelow 

 says it is abundant north of Hamilton Inlet on the east coast, breeding 

 near most of the fiords. 



At Nain, Mr. Schmitt told us that the eiders bred during the latter 

 part of June and early in July. 



Dr. Grenfell tells us that north of Nain, where the summer or 

 "green" fishermen rarely penetrate on account of the ice, the Eider, 

 undoubtedly the Greenland Eider, still breeds in great numbers. 

 On the Metik Islands between three and four thousand Eider's eggs 

 were taken off by a man in 1905. He stated that the man could 

 hardly find a place large enough, free from eggs, to place his sleeping 

 bag. Dr. Grenfell is anxious to employ a keeper for these islands, 

 and says that the down alone would pay his salary. He fears, and 

 with reason, that the advent of steam trawlers would allow the fisher- 

 men to penetrate to these regions, and that the birds would be doomed. 



Somateria dresseri Sharpe. 



American Eider; " Sea Duck "; " Laying Duck "; " Shoreyer "; 

 "Eskimo Duck"; "Morgac" (Indian); "Metik" (Eskimo). 



Common summer resident along the south coast and south of Hamil- 



