EIDER-DUCK 327 



arc somewhat elongated and sickle-shaped, and there is no metallic 

 " speculum " on the wing of either sex. There is a very considerable 

 difference in the colouring of the two sexes. The names " eider " and 

 " dunter " alike refer to the soft downy plumage of these birds ; the 

 Scandinavian dun and the Icelandic diinn, from which dmiter is derived, 

 belonging apparently to the same root as the English dtm. 



In the drake of the true eider the crown of the head, the greater 

 wing-coverts, the quills, the lower part of the back, the tail-feathers, 

 and the whole of the under-parts, with the exception of a white patch 

 on each side of the flanks, are black ; the ear-coverts and nape of the 



i,il)i:ks imaij: anh fi.mai.k 



neck are pale moss - green ; and the rest of the plumage white; the 

 beak, legs, and toes being dusky green. This is the breeding-plumage, 

 which is worn for the greater part of the year ; but in the non- 

 breeding dress, which is donned for a short time in summer, the whole 

 plumage becomes black, except for the intermixture of a few white 

 feathers on the neck and back. The duck, on the other hand, wears 

 an inconspicuous, dark-barred buff dress at all seasons of the year ; and 

 birds of the year have a very similar type of colouring, but the margins 

 of the feathers are grey in place of buff, young drakes being distinguish- 

 able by the presence of black on the sides of the neck. Ducklings are 

 dark brown above and paler beneath, with a light brown streak above 

 the eye. The species is one of the largest of the ducks, measuring 

 22 inches in length, and weighing as much as from 5 to 5^ lbs. 



The habitat of the eider-duck may be said to include the North 



