King-Eider 35 
change slowly throughout that and the following months, and are not in full beauty until 
the last of the eclipse feathers have been cast from the head, neck, mantle, and upper breast. 
All this change to the second winter dress is not effected until November i. The young 
male at this date, although slightly smaller than the adult male, is almost exactly similar to 
that bird, except that the new wing is quite different, and affords a character by which the age 
of the bird may be easily identified. The winter wing of a second-year male differs from that 
of the adult male in having the white lesser wing-coverts more or less margined or shaded 
with sooty-black. These patches in the adult male are always pure white. This mottled 
portion of the wing is retained until the following August. In July, at the end of the 
second year, the male passes into its second eclipse dress, which is exactly similar to that 
worn by the adult male, except that it retains the immature wing until the end of that month. 
Immahtre Male: Third Year. — In August the first adult wing is assumed, and the 
second eclipse commences to fall, the whole moult the winter preceding, as in the Common 
Eider. The first complete dress of the adult male is attained about November 28. The 
male King-Eider is therefore adult in 28^ months. 
Adult Male. — Crown and nape and sides of head, in a line above the eye, ash-blue ; cheeks 
pale green ; a broad black line of feathers extends from the gape to the front of the eye and 
up to the front of the crown, surrounding this the large protuberance on the upper mandible ; 
a black spot under each eye, and a large black V-shaped mark on the white throat and chin ; 
this V is sometimes united at its apex and sometimes separated by white feathers ; mantle, 
central parts of the lesser wing-coverts, and a large patch on each side of the rump, white ; 
the rest of the wing, upper and under parts, tail, and wings, black ; the inner secondaries 
are elongated and curled outwards ; lower throat and upper breast rich cream-colour ; bill 
reddish-orange, and naked protuberance bright chromium-orange ; nail bone-colour ; feet 
dull red-orange; webs dusky-red; irides dark red-brown. Length 21 to 23 inches ; wing 
10.3 ; tarsus 1.7 ; weight \\ to 5^ lbs. 
The eclipse plumage commences to come in at the beginning of July, and is attained 
and moulted in a manner and at the same time as that plumage in the Common Eider. 
Those portions that are moulted twice between July i and November 20 are not so black as 
in the Common Eider, the King-Eider eclipse having a " smokier " appearance, but in other 
respects the plumage is similar. 
Iimnature Female. — In first plumage the young female resembles the young female of 
the Common Eider, but the bird is smaller, and the dark brown bars on the sides of the 
breast are more arrow-shaped. It can always be distinguished from the young female Eider 
by the central line of feathers running down to the nostrils which in S. mollissima only 
reach half-way. Both the bill and head are smaller. The passage of plumage of the young 
female King-Eider is exactly the same as the Common Eider. Young females keep apart 
for the first two years, and assume a very dark and worn appearance at 10 and 22 months 
of age. They attain adult plumage at 28^ months, and will breed the following spring. 
Adult Female. — In general appearance the female King-Eider resembles the female 
Eider-Duck, but it is smaller, and as a rule darker. The shape of the head is not so 
triangular but more flat on the top. Specimens killed in February when the birds are at 
their best plumage seem to be uniformly of a very rufous-brown colour, and the blackish- 
brown cross-bars are narrower, and on the sides of the breast more arrow-shaped than 
