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WILD WINGS 
the rocks that stood out of the water. Pairs or groups of 
Eider Ducks were swimming here and there not far off the 
rock-strewn shore, the white-backed m^ales very distinguished 
HERRING GULL LEAVING THE DEAD TREE 
in appearance, compared with their sombre brown mates. 
This was their nesting-time. The female crawls up from the 
shore into the thick of the small spruces, and beneath the 
tangle deposits from five to eight large, smooth, yellowish 
eggs, surrounding them with a profusion of down plucked 
