250 THE BIRDS OF IONA AND MULL. 



tion, which forms the pasturage of these creatures, for quantities of 

 widgeon, which formerly were not wont to congregate there, have 

 taken their place. Does old Neptune keep pace with the times and 

 practise rotation of crops down below there at the bottom? 



The native name for this duck is lack bhinn, the musical duck. It 

 is very common on the Canadian lakes, under the name of the cow-wee 

 duck (a word supposed to imitate part of its cry). At the mouth of 

 the river Niagara (March 1855), when Lake Ontario was still choked 

 up with ice, and the waves froze in icicles as they dashed on the rocks, 

 I was walking on the shore in the evening and recognised the well- 

 known voice of the long-tail, so familiar to me in Iona, as it was borne 

 in on the blast from a large flock disporting themselves among the 

 hummocks and floating masses of ice. 



The Scoter. 

 Norse, Sjo-orre — sea blackcock. 

 I never saw any of the scoters out among the isles, and at Loch- 

 gilphead I only saw them on two occasions, though unfortunately I got 

 no specimen on either occasion. The first time, as I was launching my 

 punt, a friend came up and offered to shoot if I would put him within 

 range. I did my part and he missed his, so I lost that chance. The 

 second and last occasion was a splendid male velvet scoter, who 

 paraded himself under my garden wall, his jetty plumage flashed in the 

 sunshine, and his red bill was all aglow, like Bardolph's nose — but it 

 was Sunday. I offered to use a loose leaf out of an old bible for 

 wadding, but I could not get a dispensation from the authorities (Mrs 

 G.) to shoot, though this would have been a new method of diffusing 

 the Scriptures among the blacks, so I could do nothing but watch him 

 sailing about within thirty yards. Virtue was not rewarded by his 

 return on a week day, though anxiously looked for, not to say prayed 

 for. 



The Eider Duck. 



Norwegian, Ejdar gas — eider goose. 

 The eider is very numerous indeed in our seas, and may be met 

 with at all times of the year along shore or half-way out to Tiree, ten 

 or fifteen miles from land. The male birds shine like stars upon the 

 deep purple, long-heaving swell which heaves in from the Atlantic 

 Ocean. They are not very shy of being sailed down upon, and are less 



