1-1-6 
ANATIDiE, 
THE KING EIDER, 
King Duck. 
Somateria spectabilis, Linn, (sp.) 
Anas ,, ,, 
Is extremely rare. 
In the ‘ Annals of Natural History* (vol. v. p. 6), I recorded 
the occurrence of a female bird which was shot at Kingstown 
harbour, near Dublin, about the 1st of October, 1837, and a few 
hours afterwards came into the possession of Mr. R. Ball : when 
first seen it was accompanied by two others. The specimen is 
preserved in the University Museum, Dublin. Mr. R. Chute 
has obtained two king eiders on the coast of Kerry (as determined 
by comparison of their bills with drawings of those of the eider 
and king eider), one in the winter of 1843, from Derrynane, and 
the other in that of 1845-46, from Tralee Bay : they were either 
females or immature males. On the 11th of March, 1850, a bird 
of this species, while swimming alone, was shot in Belfast Bay, 
and came under my examination on the 12th. Its weight was 
3 lbs. 5 oz. The entire bill was dusky, having the colour and 
general appearance of india-rubber as it is sold at the stationers*. 
Tarsi and toes very pale olive or dull fawn-colour; the membranes 
dusky. Irides very dark brown. On dissection, it was found to 
be a female; the eggs only one-twelfth of an inch in diameter. The 
stomach was filled with the remains of Crustacea and mollusca, 
viz., an InacJius of middle size, the largest Portunus arcuatus that 
I had seen (and perfect excepting the arms), a Nucula margari- 
tacea , and a small buckie-whelk ( Buccinum undatum). 
The preceding notes relate to more king eiders than are on 
record as obtained in Great Britain, south of the Orkney Islands,* 
at least until 1845. Mr. Macgillivray mentions the species as 
* It is only “ a rare occasional visitant” to these islands. — ‘ Hist. Nat. Oread.’ 
(1848). 
