THE KING EIDER DUCK. 
41 
11. THE KING EIDER. SOM.VfERIA SPECTABILIS. 
^pectahilis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 195 (1766). 
^o/na/eria spectahilis, Macg. Brit. B. v. p. 158 (1852) ; Dresser, 
B. Eur. vii. p. 643, pi. 446 (1877) ; B. O. U. IJst Br. B. 
P' 134 (1883) ; Saunders, ed. Yarr. Br. B. iv. p. 463 
Seebobin, Brit. B. iii. p. 621 (1885); Saunders, 
^lan. Brit. B. p. 449 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B. 
part .xx,x. (1895) ; Salvad. Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxvii. p. 432 
(1895)- 
Adult Male. — General colour above black, the scapulars and 
wing-coverts with a patch of white in the middle of the lesser 
^nd median series, the greater coverts with a small white spot 
the end ; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills black, 
secondaries tipped with white, the innermost sickle-shaped ; 
each side of the rump a large patch of white ; upper tail- 
coverts and tail black; crown of head and nape and sides 
of the hinder head delicate lavender-grey ; the hind-neck and 
^Pper mantle pure white ; at the base of the bill a velvety- 
clack spot, continued round the bare loral space and reaching 
nearly to the eye, and descending nearly to the base of the 
niandible; sides of face delicate green, separated from the 
lavender-grey of the sides of the neck by a narrow band of 
white, margined by a few black lines ; fore-part of lores and 
cheeks whiter ; throat white, with a V-shaped mark of black ; 
fore-neck creamy-buff ; rest of under surface from the chest 
downwards black ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white, with 
die coverts round the edge of the wing dusky-brown, with 
"’hitish spots at the ends ; quill-lining ashy ; bill with the base 
of the upper mandible spread out into a shield on each side, 
reddish-orange ; feet orange-red, the membrane darker ; iris 
yellow. Total length, 24 inches; culmen, 1-4; wing, 107; 
tail, 28; tarsus, 1-8. 
Adult Female. — Rufous, mottled with black centres to the 
feathers ; the head and neck streaked with blackish ; wing- 
coverts blackish, with rufous edgings to the lesser and median 
series, the inner greater coverts with white tips, forming a 
small band ; the innermost secondaries slightly sickle-shaped, 
blackish edged with rufous ; quills black, a few of the second- 
aries fringed with w'hite at the ends ; tail brown ; throat 
