BIRDS HUNTED FOR FOOD OR SPORT. 149 



Range. — Northeastern North America. Breeds from southern Ungava and 

 Newfoundland to southeastern Maine, and on the southern half of 

 Hudson Bay; winters from Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence 

 south on Atlantic coast, regularly to Massachusetts, rarely to Virginia, 

 and in interior rarely to Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio and western 

 New York. 



History. 



The Eider Duck formerly was abundant along the coast 

 of New England as far south and west as Martha's Vineyard. 

 The subjoined abridged extracts from standard authors indi- 

 cate its decrease; October, 1832, seen in considerable num- 

 bers in Boston Bay; twenty-one killed about the Rocky Isles 

 in one day by two gunners (a father and son) ; breeds in con- 

 siderable numbers from Boston to the Bay of Fundy; Wilson 

 saw them as far south as the capes of the Delaware; at present 

 day an extremely rare occurrence, as Jersey fishermen know 

 nothing of this Duck (Audubon). Formerly they bred in 

 considerable numbers from Boston eastward (Peabody, 1838). 

 Very abundant in the bays and inlets of our coast (Samuels, 

 1870). Uncommon winter visitor (Townsend, Essex County, 

 Mass. 1905). It disappeared long ago from Massachusetts 

 as a breeding bird, if it ever bred here, and probably not many 

 more than twenty pairs now (1910) nest on the Maine coast, 

 where they are protected from extinction during the breeding 

 season by the wardens of the National Association of Audu- 

 bon Societies. Thirty-seven Massachusetts observers report 

 the Eider as decreasing, and but two report it on the in- 

 crease. The decrease reported varies from twenty-five to 

 ninety per cent. Mr. John M. Winslow of Nantucket says 

 that with two other men he killed at Muskeget Island over 

 two hundred in a morning about 1872. He secured and saved 

 one hundred and fifty, and got fifty cents a pair for them. Mr. 

 H. G. Worth of Nantucket says that he has killed thirty in 

 three hours. Reports from Maine and Nova Scotia place 

 their decrease at fifty per cent, within the memory of the 

 observers, and this Duck seems to have nearly disappeared 

 from Rhode Island in recent years. On the other hand. Rich 

 regards this as the only Sea Duck that is holding its own on 

 the Maine coast in winter. 



