Pacific Elder {SomateHa dresseri) 



Range: Breeds from southern Ungava and Newfoundland to southeastern 

 Maine, and on southern half of Hudson Bay; winters from Newfoundland and 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence south on Atlantic coast regularly to Alassachusetts. 



The American eider is the eider of northeastern North America, and differs 

 only slightly from its European representative, the "northern eider," from which 

 is derived much of the eiderdown of commerce. The female anticipates the needs 

 of her ducklings for a warm and soft bed by lining the nest with down plucked 

 from her own breast. But this downy lining is coveted by the Icelanders, who 

 regard the summer's crop of down as a substantial addition to their annual harvest 

 and who accordingly appropriate it. The male, equally solicitous for the welfare 

 of the nestlings, in turn denudes his breast of its down and replaces the lining. 

 This also is taken, after which the pair are allowed to rear their brood in peace. 

 Needless to say, the eider is carefully protected in Iceland, and hence the crop of 

 down is a perennial one. This duck was formerly abundant and indeed nested 

 along the coast from Maine northward. Eiders are much less numerous than 

 formerly within our territory, for the sufficient reason that they have been ruth- 

 lessly killed. No doubt they would soon be extinct were it not for the fact that 

 they breed in the north far from harm. The eider is a true marine duck and well 

 deserves the title of "sea duck" bestowed upon it by gunners. So hardy are these 

 birds that they choose to keep to the open sea during the severest storms, and rely 

 for their preservation on their unsurpassed powers of swimming and diving. 

 Eiders live largely upon mussels, which they secure in fifty feet or more of water. 

 Dependent in no wise upon man and doing him no harm, they ask only for the 

 universal boon of life. 



Ring-Necked Duck {MarUa coiians) 



Range : Breeds from southern British Columbia to northern California, and 

 from northern Alberta and Lake Winnipeg south to North Dakota, northern Iowa, 

 and southern Wisconsin ; winters from southern British Columbia, New Mexico, 

 northern Texas, southern Illinois, and New Jersey south to Porto Rico and Gaute- 

 mala. 



So much alike are the ring-neck and the lesser scaup in size, flight, and general 

 appearance that it is only when the sportsman has bagged his bird that he can 

 fully assure himself of its identity. Without doubt the ring-neck is much more 

 uncommon in the Atlantic States than formerly, though Chapman states that in 

 winter it is still abundant on the Florida fresh-water lakes. It is fairly numerous 

 in migration in the far West in the marshes of large ponds and lakes, and still 

 continues to breed in considerable numbers in Minnesota and North Dakota and 

 perhaps elsewhere in our northern frontier states. I have never seen the ring- 

 neck in large flocks, so characteristic of the scaups, and usually have observed it 



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