40 Allen's naturallst's library. 



danger. It is a day-feeder, and appears to spend the night on 

 the land. ... It Hves ahnost excUisively on small crus- 

 taceans, marine insects, and shell-fish, and crabs, often of con- 

 siderable size, are swallowed whole. . . . The note of the 

 Eider is a harsh grating kr-kr-kr ; but when courting his 

 mate the male utters a harsh loud cooing sound, like ah-(W^ as 

 he swims round and round her, and repeatedly moves his head 

 up and down." 



Nest. — Sometimes only a depression in the ground, thickly 

 lined with the bird's own down. At the Fames, says Mr. 

 Seebohm, " most of \\\t Eider Ducks make their nests among 

 the bladder-campion, which grows in great profusion on some 

 of the islands, but some of the birds seek nesting-sites in the 



clefts of the rocks close to the water Where the 



bird is common, especially where it is protected for commer- 

 cial purposes, great numbers of nests are placed almost side 

 by side, and in some cases two females share the same abode, 

 sitting amicably on their eggs. The nest of the Eider is a 

 substantial structure made of dry grass, heather, bits of sea- 

 weed, and stalks of campion and other marine herbage. The 

 lining of down is gradually added when the full complement of 

 eggs is almost completed." 



Mr. Robert Read writes to me : — " The Duck will sometimes 

 sit so closely on its nest that it can be touched by hand, but 

 when suddenly disturbed from the nest, it usually discharges 

 over the eggs a most offensive-smelling liquid excrement. This 

 is almost enough to prevent any human being from touching 

 the eggs \ and one can imagine that it must be of great protec- 

 tive value in acting as a strong deterrent to stoats, hoodies, and 

 other vermin from sucking the eggs. Although this habit is 

 not peculiar to the Eider, one probably notices it most in this 

 species of Duck, because the other species are not so easily 

 approached, but leave the nest earlier, and so have time to 

 cover up their eggs with down, and protect them in that way." 



Eggs. — From five to eight in number, of a greenish stone- 

 colour. Axis, 2'9-3'25 inches; diam., i'9-2*i. 



Down. — Not so dark as in some of the other diving Ducks, 

 of a light brown colour, with the filamentous tips scarcely any 

 paler, the "eye" of white in the centre dull and indistinct. 



