THE WILD-DUCK. 401 



a distance, he did not see her; but, when, on turning his 

 head accidentally, he caught a glimpse of his well-known 

 companion, he rushed towards her with an earnestness 

 and affection which quite touched those who witnessed 

 the meeting. Nothing from that moment would induce 

 him to quit her, and he manifested his joy at the unex- 

 pected re-union, by twining his neck on hers, nestling 

 it under her wing, and gazing at her with eyes expressive 

 of extreme delight and satisfaction. 



There is another Wild-Duck deserving of mention 

 from the value of the down upon its breast, which is 

 carefully collected by those who rear these birds, and 

 dispose of their produce at a very high price. The bird 

 we speak of is the Eider Duck. And well may it have 

 a warmer under-clothing than most other Ducks, born 

 and bred, as it is, amidst the most dreary and desolate 

 region of the Frozen Seas, and abiding either solitary or 

 in pairs near the ice, as far as possible from land, but 

 assembling, at the breeding season, in vast numbers, on 

 most of the islands in the North. As Iceland is one of 

 their favourite haunts, we cannot do better than collect 

 our particulars from a spot where they are probably 

 better known than anywhere else. There, as they are 

 rarely hurt or disturbed, they become surprisingly tame, 

 and allow persons to walk amongst their nests. On ap- 

 proaching them, the Drakes, indeed, often take alarm, 

 and plunge with great precipitancy into the water; but 

 the Ducks generally remain sitting on their nests, or 

 merely fly to the distance of a yard or two, and on an 

 attempt to touch their eggs, return in a rage. Many of 

 them suifer themselves to be handled, and can only be 

 removed by actual force from their nests. In some 

 parts of the island, where they are more particularly 

 attended to, they build their nests on the roofs of the 

 houses, and become quite familiar with the inhabitants. 

 The nests are constructed of sea-weed, and lined with 

 the finest down, plucked from their breasts. 



As soon as it is observed that the first eggs are laid, 



2 D 



