THE KING EIDER. 
117 
not having occurred south of that group, while Sir Wm. Jardine 
and Mr. Yarrell merely notice the individual, said by Mr. Jenyns 
to have been killed in Sussex. According to Mr. St. John, it is 
rarely seen at the Kyle of Tongue.* 
The king eider is still more of a northern species than the com- 
mon eider, and breeds abundantly on the shores and islands of the 
arctic regions. It does not retire far southward during the winter, 
but frequents the Northern Atlantic in large flocks. These birds 
often afforded a valuable supply of fresh provision to the crews 
of the vessels employed on the arctic voyages.f According to 
Dr. Kichardson, they “ have not been seen to the southward of 
the 59th parallel.” J 
During a sporting tour to Norway, made in a yacht in the sum- 
mer and autumn of 1849, by Captain May, late of the Inniskilling 
dragoons, and two other officers of that regiment, the common 
and the king eider were thus observed; — the common species 
frequently, from the middle of June to September, between 
Copenhagen and Bodo, and a little to the northward of the latter 
place. Some were shot on the islands of the Kattegat, between 
Copenhagen and Christiansand, at the first-named period. They 
became gradually scarcer towards the arctic circle, and far north, 
towards Hammerfest, none were seen. Here their place was 
supplied by the king eider, which appeared commonly in the 
fiords from July till September, from Bodo northwards, and in- 
creased thence in numbers towards the North Cape. Some of 
them were killed : they " carried away” a great deal of shot. A 
few were baked in pies when nothing better could be had, but 
were considered to have a very strong disagreeable flavour. 
Steller’s Western Duck, Somateria ? Stel^eri, Pall, (sp.), Anas 
dispar , Sparm., has been included in the British catalogue from a single 
individual procured in Norfolk, in Pebruary 1830. Sinoe the publica- 
tion of the 2nd edition of Yarrell’s work (1845), another of these birds 
is stated to have been obtained — in Yorkshire, in August 1845. |j 
* ‘ Tour in Sutherland,’ vol. i. p. 140. f Sir James C. Ross. 
X ‘ Faun. Bor. Amer.,’ p. 437. 
j| R. J. Bell, in ‘ Zoologist’ for 1846, vol. iv. p. 1249. 
