356 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



bill. Feathering of fore -head extending in a point to culmen, that 

 of sides of head reaching in a long point to nearly middle of bill. 

 Inner secondaries in male elongated, sickle -shaped. Tail short, 

 rounded, 14, sometimes 16 rectrices. 3rd primary longest. Large 

 birds, sexes very different, inhabitants of sea -coasts. 2 species, 

 one in several subspecies. Northern shores. 



mollissima (L.) — THE COMMON 



SOMATERIA MOLLISSIMA 



320. Somateria mollissima 

 EIDER. 



Anas mollissima Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 124 (1758 — N. Europe). 

 Somateria mollissima (Linnaeus), Yarrell, iv, p. 457 : Saunders, p. 459. 

 Somateria mollissima britannica Millais, Brit. Diving Ducks, II, p. 2 

 (1913 — British Isles). 



Description. — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Crown to eye 

 and band along top of loral feathering black glossed violet -purple ; 

 cream-white mesial streak down crown, in some tinged pale green ; 



upper-part of nape and patch 

 on side of neck emerald- 

 green, intersected by white 

 streak on side of neck ; rest 

 of head, neck, mantle, scapu- 

 lars, back and sides of rump 

 white (in some mantle and 

 scapulars cream), occasion- 

 ally a black V-shaped mark 

 on chin and throat, some 

 feathers of back with imper- 

 fectly concealed ash-brown 

 bases ; centre of rump and 

 upper tail - coverts black ; 

 upper-breast pale pinkish- 

 cream, feathers bordering 

 lower -breast tipped black ; 

 sides of body, flanks and 

 under tail -coverts black ; re- 

 maining under-parts brown- 

 black ; axillaries white sometimes mottled dusky ; under wing- 

 coverts white ; primaries and secondaries black -brown, inner 

 webs paler, secondary next innermost with inner web and tip 

 mostly white and next with irregular white patch towards tip ; 

 innermost secondaries and coverts white ; all primary- coverts and 

 bastard- wing sepia, latter tipped white ; greater coverts as second- 

 aries, one next innermost white mottled dusky and tipped black ; 

 median and lesser coverts white. This plumage is acquired by a 

 body-moult Aug. to Dec. N.B. — When fresh some feathers of nape 

 and upper-breast have black-brown tips ; in summer emerald- 

 green of head and pink of upper -breast are more or less faded. 



The Common Eider (Somateria m. mollissima). Bill of 

 adult female from above and side to show frontal 

 and loral feathering. 



