THE EIDER DUCK. 247 



exceeds seven inches in diameter. In the beginning 

 of June the eggs are deposited, the male attending 

 upon the female the whole time. The eggs, which 

 are regularly placed on the moss and weeds of the 

 nest, without any down, are generally from five to 

 seven, three inches in length, two inches and one- 

 eighth in breadth, being thus much larger than those 

 of the Domestic Duck, of a regular oval form, 

 smooth-shelled, and of a uniform pale olive-green. 

 When the full complement of eggs has been laid, 

 she begins to pluck some down from the lower parts 

 of her body; this operation is daily continued for 

 some time, until the roots of the feathers, as far for- 

 ward as she can reach, are quite bare, and as clean 

 as a wood from which the undergrowth has been 

 cleared away. This down she disposes beneath and 

 around the eggs. When she leaves the nest to go 

 in search of food, she places it over the eggs ; and in 

 this manner, it may be presumed to keep up their 

 warmth, although it does not always ensure their 

 safety, for the Black-backed Gull is apt to remove 

 the covering, and suck or otherwise destroy the eggs. 

 The care which the mother takes of her young for 

 two or three weeks, cannot be exceeded. She leads 

 them gently in a close flock in shallow waters, where, 

 by diving, they procure food ; and, at times, when 

 the young are fatigued, and at some distance from 

 the shore, she sinks her body in the water, and re- 

 ceives them on her back, where they remain several 

 minutes." 



The Long-tailed Duck is another beautiful species 



