152 
EIDER DUCK. 
colour, somewhat dusky in the middle ; upper part of the head, 
deep velvet black, divided laterally on the hind head by a 
whitish band ; cheeks, white ; sides of the head, pale pea- 
green, marked with a. narrow line of white dropt from the ear 
feathers ; the plumage of this part of the head, to the throat, is 
tumid, and looks as if cut off at the end, for immediately be- 
low the neck it suddenly narrows, somewhat in the manner of 
the bulFel-head, enlarging again greatly as it descends, and has 
a singular hollow between the shoulders behind ; the upper 
part of the neck, the back, scapulars, lesser wing-coverts, and 
sides of the rump, are pure white ; lower part of the breast, 
belly, and vent, black ; tail, primaries, and secondaries, brown- 
ish black ; the tertials curiously curved, falling over the wing ; 
legs, short, yellow ; webs of the feet, dusky. 
Latham has given us the following sketch of the gradual 
progress of the young males to their perfect colours : — ‘‘ In 
the first year the back is white, and the usual parts, except the 
crown, black ; but the rest of the body is variegated with black 
and white. In the second year, the neck and breast are spot- 
ted black and white, and the crown black. In the third, the 
colours are nearly as when in full plumage, but less vivid, and 
a few spots of black still remaining on the neck ; the crown, 
black, and bifid at the back part. 
‘‘ The young of both sexes are the same, being covered 
with a kind of hairy down ; throat and breast, whitish ; and 
a cinereous line from the bill through the eyes to the hind 
head.’’* 
Si/nopsiS} iii. 471. 
