The Eider Duck.-] OP ORKNEY. . 137 



Species 5. — The Eider Duck. 



Wormius's Eider or Soft-feathered Duck, the Cuthbert Duck, tVil. Orn. 362. 

 Rait Syn. Jv. Hi. Eider Anas, Si6. Scot. 21. The Colk, ilfa/^ West. 

 Isles, 25. Colca, Buck. Hist. Scot. lib. 1. Anas moliissima, Lin.Sys. 198. 

 Brit. Zool. 454. Ore* Duntergoose. Pen. Tour. 37. tab. 1. 



These birds in winter frequent our sounds and bays in large 

 flocks, both of males and females, but for the most part go 

 off in the spring. A few pairs build in a holm belonging to 

 Trail of Holland, in the north isles, constructing their nests 

 of sea-tang and the down of their own breasts. 



This is a very beautiful bird, especially the male, the bill 

 of which is black, as is the forehead, and a broad black bar 

 from the bill to the eyes, which passes to the hind part of the 

 head ; the crown of the head, the cheeks, the neck, back, 

 scapulars, and coverts of the wings are white ; this is finely va- 

 riegated by the lower part of the breast, the belly, the tail, 

 and quill feathers, which are a full black. The female has 

 none of these colours ; she is of a uniform brown, barred with 

 black ; the quills black ; the belly a deep brown ; the tail 

 dusky. 



These ducks in spring swim in flocks, and nothing can be 

 more pleasant in a fine day than to see two or three dozen of 

 them sailing by ; the lively black and white of the males, in- 

 termixed with the darker colours of the females, contributes 



* Vide Sib. 21. » 



S 



