SOMATERIA. 109 
neck streaked with the same. Length about 20.00-26.00. 99s pale olive-buff, pale 
dull olive-green or grayish pea-green. 
a'. Anterior point of feathering on forehead reaching only about half-way from the 
point of the naked angle on side of forehead to nostril; feathering of lores 
extending forward to at least beneath the posterior end of the nostril 
adult males with scapulars and tertials white, the top of head chiefly black. 
(Subgenus Somateria.) 
b'. Distance from anterior point of loral feathering to extremity of naked angle 
on side of forehead, usually greater than from same point to tip of upper 
mandible ; adult male without any black on throat. 
c’. Adult male with angle on side of forehead narrow and pointed; black 
of head bordered beneath by pure white, except at posterior 
extremity only. 
ad’, Adult male with bill dull grayish olive in life, the breast deeper, 
more vinaceous, buff, the tertials less falcate; bill from poste- 
rior end of nostril 1.65, angle from anterior extremity of loral 
feathering to extreme point 1.46, depth of upper mandible (at 
frontal apex) .92. Adult female with bill much heavier than in 
the next, with nail Jarger and more strongly hooked ; bill from 
posterior border of nostrils 1.47-1.53, angle 1.38-1.43, depth of 
upper mandible .80-.90. Hab. Northern Europe. 
S. mollissima (Linn.). Ejider.? 
@, Adult male with bill orange-yellowish in life, the breast paler buff, 
the tertials more strongly falcate; bill from posterior end of 
nostril not more than 1.55, angle 1.38-1.52, its width across 
middle not more than .30, depth of upper mandible .90-1.03. 
Adult female: Bill from nostril 1.30-1.50, angle 1.20-1.40, depth 
of upper mandible 0.78-0.95. Downy young: Above grayish 
brown, fading gradually into paler grayish on lower parts, the 
abdomen inclining to grayish white; chin and a broad super- 
ciliary stripe pale brownish, in strong contrast with a dark 
brown stripe on side of head. ggs 2.97 x 1.97. Hab. Eastern 
Arctic America, including Greenland ; south to northern Lab- 
yador in summer and to northern border of United States in 
winter. 
159. S. mollissima borealis (BREHM). Greenland Eider.’ 
ce. Adult male with angle on side of forehead broad and rounded ; black of 
head bordered beneath by pale green for nearly its entire length. 
Bill from posterior end of nostril 1.35-1.48, angle from anterior 
extremity of loral feathering 1.75-2.00, its width across middle 
1 For references, see No. 159, A. O. U. Check List: the American bird proves to be not the true 8. mollissima, 
however, but a fairly distinguishable race, characterized as above. 
2 Platypus borealis OC, L. Breum, Lehrb. Europ. Vig. 1824, 813. Somateria mollissima borealis A. E. BREEM, 
Vorz. Samml. Eur. Vég. 1866, 14. 
