KING EIDEIi. 23s 



light olive gray shade, sometimes grayish green. In its 

 habits the bird does not differ materially from its rela- 

 tives. The males desert the females when incubation 

 commences, and assemble in great flocks by themselves 

 upon the outlying reefs, or on the sea not far from shore, 

 and are joined by the females and young in the autumn. 

 It seems, however, to be even more of a Sea Duck 

 than the other Eiders, and is met with a long distance 

 from land, on the open ocean. The males assume 

 a dress similar to that of the females, after the breeding 

 season, save that one or two pairs of white patches re- 

 main, by which the sex can be determined. The skin 

 of this bird is used by the Eskimo for making clothing, 

 and that of the female, split down the back and the head 

 and wings removed, is placed inside the seal-skin boot 

 and is very comfortable in winter. The King Eider 

 feeds on fish and various kinds of mollusks, and as may 

 be expected from such a diet, its flesh is not particularly 

 palatable. In size it is somewhat less than all the other 

 Eiders, except possibly the Spectacled or Fischer's Eider. 

 As a diver, and possessing an ability to remain under 

 water for a lengthened period, the present species is in 

 no way inferior to its relatives, and a large portion of its 

 time when at sea is engaged in exploring the depths, and 

 seeking the marine creatures upon which it subsists. 



SO MATERIA SPECTABILIS. 



Geographical Distribution. — Northern parts of Northern Hemi- 

 sphere. South on the Atlantic coast in winter to Georgia, and 

 to the Great Lakes in the interior. Not found on Pacific coast 

 south of Alaska. Breeding in the Arctic regions. 



Adult Male.— A line along the base of the bill, and over and 

 onto the anterior edge of the frontal process, a spot beneath the 

 eye, an indistinct line at bottom of pearl gray on nape, and a 

 broad V-shaped mark from chin along sides of the throat, jet 



