EIDER PUCK. 95 



the remaining down, and lays a second time ; even this, with the eggs 

 is generally taken away, and it is said that the male in this extremity 

 furnishes the third quantity of down from his own breast ; but if the 

 cruel robbery be a third time repeated, they abandon the place 

 altogether. One female, during the whole time of laying, generally 

 gives half a pound of down ; and we are told, that in the year 1750, 

 the Iceland Company sold as much of this article as amounted to three 

 thousand seven hundred and forty-five banco dollars, besides what was 

 directly sent to Gluekstadt.* The down from dead birds is little 

 esteemed, having lost its elasticity. 



These birds associate together in flocks, generally in deep water, 

 diving for shell fish, which constitute their principal food. They 

 frequently retire to the rocky shores to rest, particularly on the appear- 

 ance of an approaching storm. They are numerous on the coast of 

 Labrador, and are occasionally seen in winter as far south as the capes 

 of Delaware. Their flesh is esteemed by the inhabitants of Greenland ; 

 but tastes strongly of fish. 



The length of this species is two feet three inches, extent three feet ; 

 weight between six and seven pounds ; the head is large, and the bill 

 of singular structure, being three inches in length, forked in a remark- 

 able manner, running high up in the forehead, between which the plum- 

 age descends nearly to the nostril ; the whole of the bill is of a dull 

 yellowish horn color somewhat dusky in the middle ; upper part of the 

 head deep velvet black, divided laterally on the hind head by a whitish 

 band ; cheeks white ; sides of the head pale pea green, marked with a 

 narrow line of white dropped from the ear feathers ; the plumage of 

 this part of the head, to the throat, is tumid, and looks as if cut off at 

 the end, for immediately below the neck it suddenly narrows, somewhat 

 in the manner of the BuSel-head, enlarging again greatly as it descends, 

 and has a singular hollow between the shoulders behind ; the upper part 

 of the neck, the back, scapulai's, lesser wing coverts, and sides of the 

 rump are pure white ; lower part of the breast, belly, and vent black ; 

 tail, primaries and secondaries brownish black, the tertials curiously 

 curved, falling over the wing ; legs short, yellow ; webs of the feet 

 dusky. 



Latham has given us the following sketch of the gradual progress of 

 the young males to their perfect colors : " In the first year the back is 

 white, and the usual parts, except the crown, black ; but the rest of the 

 body is variegated with black and white. In the second year the neck 

 and breast are spotted black and white, and the crown black. In the 

 third the colors are nearly as when in full plumage, but less vivid, and 



* Letters on Iceland, by Uno Van Troil, p. 146. 



