286 Beetz, Notes on the Eider. [x^"y i I 



seemed to do the major part of the feeding) close round me in a 

 most excited state, and as I continued to retain the young one, he 

 eventually flew up into the ash tree, where he remained imtil I 

 released it, and removed from the locality. The average dimen- 

 sions of the four nests found are as follows, viz : Outside diameter 

 3f inches, inside 2j, outside depth 2| inches, inside 1|, and it will 

 be noticed all were lined with the plant down and flower heads of 

 the Pearly Everlasting, a plant which grows very abundantly here, 

 and is much used by many species of birds for nesting purposes, 

 especially by robins who use it largely in the foundations of their 

 nests. 



II 



4J 



NOTES ON THE EIDER.^ 

 By Jo HAN Beetz, Piashte Bay, Canadian Labrador.^ 



Translated from the French and Annotated 

 BY CHARLES W. TOWNSEND, M.D. 



Plate XV. 



m 



The eastern coast of North America possesses four well defined 

 species of Eiders, although naturalists recognize only three. These 

 are the American Eider (Somateria dresseri dresseri) with large 

 rovmded membranous processes extending backwards from the 

 beak; the Unclassed or Intermediate Eider ^ with semi-rounded 

 processes; the Northern Eider (S. mollissima borcalis) with pointed 

 processes, and the King Eider (S. spectabilis). 



1 Read before the Nuttall Ornithological Club, Dec. 20, 1915. 



2 M. Johan Beetz, who has resided for twenty years at Piashte Bay mid-way between 

 Esquimaux Point and Natashquan — now officially known as Bay Johan Beetz, — is a 

 Belgian by birth and a college graduate. With Mr. A. C Bent I had the pleasure of 

 visiting him in the spring of 1909, and I spent five days at his house in June, 1915. He is 

 a keen observer and has made an interesting and valuable collection of birds of the coast. 

 He has kindly given me permission to translate and annotate this paper on the Eider. 

 C. W. T. 



3 See note at the end of the article. 



