SOMATERIA.
Bill almost straight, about as long as head, high at base; frontal feathers terminate in three acute angles, lateral angles reach a point nearly in middle of bill ; tail 54-56 feathers. Sexes different; frequent sea-coasts.
White ; crown, rump, and tail coverts, lower breast and abdomen black ; breast pale pink ; line on crown, nape, and sides of head sea green ; inner secondaries and scapulars curved ; of feathers on bill, central angle shortest, lateral angles reach below nostrils. Bill olive green, nail greenish yellow. Legs and feet greenish brown, webs black. 9 In summer, dark brown, barred and with rufous tips to feathers ; in winter more chestnut. Bill dusky green, nail bluish. Wing g 270-315, 9 255-295. Tarsus S 9 Bill from central angle d 45-62, 9 Preeds.—Kolguev, \Vaigatz, N. Russian Coast, Iceland, Scotland, Northumberland Coast, Ireland (Donegal), Coasts of Norway, Sweden, Baltic Provinces, Bornholm, W. Frisian Islands, rare Denmark and Brittany, doubtful E. Greenland. Visits in winter Baltic Coasts and Coasts of North Sea, N. and N.W. France ; occasional inland in Germany, Austria, rarely Italy, S. France ; rare visitor to Azores.
Birds from N. Europe (Norway to Russian Lapland) have been separated as " norvegica" (forehead steeper. in d' frontal angles more pointed, 9 less brilliant) but the distinction is doubtful.
S. mollissima farceensis Brehm. Smaller, especially the bill, Wing d' 269 (H.). Breeds.—Faroe Islands.
S. mollissima borealis (Brehm).
d' Bill smaller than in "mollissima" and in spring bright orange yellow ; curved inner secondaries somewhat longer.
Breeds.—Spitzbergen, Bear Island, Greenland, and N. American Coast south to Hudson Bay and Ungava.
Somateria spectabilis (L.). KING EIDER. Ger. Pracht eiderente ; Sacred. Prakt-ejder.
d' Frontal angles, infra-orbital spot, chevron on throat, wings, inner secondaries, scapulars (curved), rump, abdomen, and under tail coverts black ; crown and nape blue grey ; face and sides of neck sea green ; foreneck, back, and upper tail coverts white ; breast creamy buff; frontal angles at sides of bill fall far short of nostrils, central angle longest. Bill red, frontal shield, legs and feet orange red. 9 distinguished from "mollissima" by feathering on bill ; bill also some hat redder ; plumage in winter deeper chestnut. Wingc?, 272-292, 245-282. Tarsus 43-47. Bill 3o-36.
Preeds.—Spitzbergen, Kolguev, Nova Zenibla, \Vaigatz, Siberian and Arctic American Coasts, Greenland ; occurs at all seasons, non-breeding, Bear Island, Jan Mayen, Iceland ; in winter rare or occasional on N. and \V. European Coasts from N. Russia to Britain, France, Italy.