16 TowNSEND, Conservation of the Eider. [jan. 



The principle of conservation can as well be applied to the Eider as 

 to a forest. The conservation of the Common Eider of Europe 

 {Somateria mollissima), a species that differs but very slightly from 

 the American bird, has been practiced for many years in Iceland and 

 Norway. The birds are rigidly protected during the nesting season 

 and offered every encouragement. They are not allowed to be 

 shot, and even the discharge of a gun in their vicinity is forbidden 

 by law. Suitable nesting sites are furnished close to the houses 

 and the birds become semi-domesticated, losing all fear of man. 

 The people are allowed to take the eggs and down during the first 

 of the season, but the birds are permitted to hatch out and rear 

 a few young in order to keep up the stock. The last down is taken 

 after the birds have left. 



The following quotations from various authors show what can be 

 done in the conservation of the Eider and what a profitable and 

 pleasant business it may be made: " — A person," says Horrebow,^ 

 "as I myself have witnessed, may walk among these birds while 

 they are sitting, and not scare them; he may even take the eggs 

 and yet they will renew their laying as often as three times." 

 According to the relation of Sir George Mackenzie,^ "On the 

 8th of June at Vidoe, the Eider Ducks, at all other times of the 

 year perfectly wild, had now assembled in great numbers ta 

 nestle. The boat, by which they approached the shore, passed 

 through multitudes of these beautiful fowls, which scarcely 

 gave themselves the trouble to go out of the way. Between 

 the landing place and the Governor's house, the ground was 

 strewn with them, and it required some caution to avoid treading 

 on the nests. The Drakes were walking about uttering a sound 

 very like the cooing of Doves, and were even more familiar than the 

 common Domestic Ducks. All round the house, on the garden 

 wall, on the roof, even in the inside of the house, and in the chapel, 

 were numbers of ducks sitting on their nests. Such as had not 

 been long on the nest generally left it on being approached; but 

 those that had more than one or two eggs sat perfectly quiet, suffer- 

 ing us to touch them and sometimes making a gentle use of their 

 bills to remove our hands." 



1 Quoted by Nuttall. 



2 Travels in Iceland, p. 126. (Quoted by NuttaU.) 



