AVES — EIDER DUCK. 6(37 



lays amojg stones, or plants, near the sea, but in a soft bed of down, which 

 she plucks from her own breast. Sometimes two females will lay their 

 eggs in the same nest, in which case they always agree remarkably well. 

 As long as the female is sitting, the male continues on watch near the shore ; 

 but as soon as the young are hatched, he leaves them. The mother, how- 

 ever, remains with them a considerable time afterwards. It is curious to 

 observe her manner of leading them out of the nest, almost as soon as they 

 creep from the eggs. Going before them to the shore, they trip after her ; 

 and, when she comes to the water-side, she takes them on her back, and 

 swims a few yards with them, when she dives ; and the young ones are left 

 floating on the surface, obliged to take care of themselves. They are sel- 

 dom seen afterwards on land. 



In Iceland, the eider ducks generally build their nests on small islands, 

 not far from the shore; and sometimes even near the dwellings of the na- 

 tives, who treat them with so much attention and kindness as to render 

 them nearly tame. From these birds is produced the soft down, so well 

 known by the name of the eider, or edder down, which is so light and expan- 

 sive that a couple of handfuls will fill a down quilt, which, in cold countries, 

 is used instead of a quilt or blanket. In the breeding season, the birds pluck 

 it from their breasts to line their nests, and make a soft bed for the young 

 ones. When the natives come to the nests, they carefully remove the fe- 

 male and take away the superfluous down and eggs; after this, they replace 

 the female ; she then begins to lay afresh, and covers her eggs with new 

 down, which she also plucks from her body ; when this is scarce, or she has 

 no more left, the male comes to her assistance, and covers the eggs with his 

 down, which is white, and easily distinguished from that of the female. 

 When the young ones leave the nest, which is about an hour after they are 

 hatched, it is once more plundered. The most eggs and best down are got 

 during the first three weeks of their laying; and it has generally been ob- 

 served, that they lay the greatest number of eggs in rainy weather. One 

 female, during the time of laying, generally gives half a pound of down ; 

 which, however, is reduced one half after it is cleaned. The Iceland com- 

 pany at Copenhagen generally export from Iceland about one thousand five 

 hundred or two thousand pounds weight of this down, besides what is pri- 

 vately purchased by foreigners. 



The Greenlanders kill these birds with darts ; pursuing them in their lit- 

 tle boats, watching their course by the air bubbles when they dive, and 

 always striking them when they rise to the surface wearied. The flesh is 

 valued as food, and their skins are made into warm and comfortable under 

 garments. 



