The Eider Duck 



under parts black. Bill and legs greenish. In the " eclipse " 

 plumage the whole of the head and white portions of the 

 body (except the wing coverts) become dull brownish black. 

 The female is rufous buff, with darker bars. Length 23 

 in. ; wing 1 1 in. 



THE KING EIDER 



Somateria spectabilis (Linnaeus) 



Essentially an Arctic species, and rarely wandering south 



even in winter, this species is a somewhat scarce visitor to 



"our shores, though a good many examples have been taken, 



especially in the north. The large raised orange tubercle 



at the base of the bill and the dark clear-cut V mark 



underneath the chin, form fairly distinctive characters by 



which this species may be recognised, though an imperfect 



V mark is sometimes found on the Common Eider. The 



sickle-shaped secondaries are black and not white, as in the 



Common Eider. The female is smaller, but otherwise 



"resembles the Common Eider, though on close examination 



-she may be distinguished by the shape and extent of the 



. backward prolongation of the beak sheath. Length 21 



in.; wing 10'5 in. 



STELLER'S EIDER 



Somateria stelleri (Pallas) 



This is an Arctic species, nesting sparingly in Europe 

 .and more commonly on the tundras of Eastern Siberia. It 



261 



