i04 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 



This bird must be considered an extremely rare winter visitor to the 

 Great Lakes. Dr. Gibbs says that W. H. Collins of Detroit wrote him in 

 1883 that he had one specimen in his collection (a young male showing 

 white traces), taken on the Detroit River in December, 1882. Kumlien 

 and Hollister (Birds of Wisconsin, p. 25) say "Lake Michigan in winter, 

 rare. Recorded at Racine in winter of 1875 by Hoy. Two specimens 

 were also taken at Milwaukee, and were preserved in the Public Museum. 

 A female was shot on Lake Koshkonong (Wisconsin) in November, 1891." 

 E. W. Nelson states (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, I, 41) that an immature specimen 

 was shot near Chicago in December, 1874, and was in his collection. Dr. 

 H. B. Bannister of Evanston, told him that he had seen other specimens 

 taken near that place. Mcllwraith records two specimens from Ontario, 

 one taken near Hamilton and the other near Toronto (Birds of Ontario, 

 1874, p. 89). 



This is a true salt water species, and its occurrence in the Great Lake 

 region must be considered as rather unusual. It is abundant along the 

 New England coast during winter and gathers in great flocks on the shoals 

 about the Island of Nantucket, Mass. It formerly nested on the coast of 

 New Brunswick and the neighboring islands on the coast of Maine, laying 

 five to ten (?) eggs in a large grassy nest on the ground. The nest is heavily 

 lined with down from the breast of the bird, and this is the eider-down of 

 commerce. The eggs vary from grayish pea-green to olive-buff and average 

 2.97 by 2.01 inches. When the first egg is laid there is but little down in 

 the nest, but more is added every day, so that long before the eggs hatch 

 they are deeply embedded in the down, often entirely covered by it. 



In arctic and sub-arctic regions where the various species of eider nest 

 in great colonies, the eider-down is systematically gathered, each nest being 

 robbed at least twice and sometimes a third time, although care is used 

 commonly not to persecute the birds so far as to compel abandonment 

 of the nesting grounds. All the eiders dive with great ease and are able 

 to remain below the surface for a long time. They feed mainly, if not 

 entirely, on aquatic animals, such as crabs, barnacles, clams, mussels, 

 snails and fish, and as a natural consequence their flesh has an unpleasant, 

 fishy flavor which does not commend it to the average palate. 



Eiders are heavy, robust, hardy birds, delighting in icy waters and not 

 infrequently found riding the waves of the open sea far out of sight of land. 

 Many of them linger in the far north through the entire winter, frequenting 

 the open seas about southern Greenland and in Hudson Bay. In flying 

 they keep near the surface of the water; travelling in long lines, single file, 

 and alternately flapping their wings and sailing. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult male: Entire top of head, from forehead to nape, clear bluish black, extending 

 below the eyes, divided on the occiput and nape by a narrow stripe of cream color, and 

 bordered on the sides and nape by rich pea-green which covers the sides and back of neck 

 like a hood. Remainder of head and neck all round, together with back, scapulars, tertia- 

 ries, wing-coverts and sides of rump, pure white; lower throat, chest and upper breast 

 pale buff or rich cream color, sharply bounded below by the deep velvety black of the 

 entire lower parts; flight feathers (primaries), rump, upper tail-coverts and tail also clear 

 black. Bill pale yellow; legs and feet light green; iris brown. Adult female: Without 

 any white or green; above brownish-black; barred with yellowish-brown or rusty; breast 

 and sides similar, the belly being mostly without bars; head and neck light brown or buff 

 streaked witli brownish-black. Length 20 to 20 inches; wing 11 to 12; culmen about 

 2.25. In both male and female the feathering of the sides of the head (lores) extends 

 forward as far as (but below) the hinder end of the nostril. 



