510 ANATID^E. 



Sir W. J. Hooker, in his interesting " Journal of a Tour 

 in Iceland," describes the nests as he saw them in the 

 little island of Akaroe, where, as on other uninhabited 

 islands, the Eider Ducks breed in great numbers. " On 

 our landing on the rocky island, we found the Eider fowls 

 sitting upon their nests, which were rudely formed of 

 their own down, generally among the old and half-decayed 

 sea-weed, that the storms had cast high up on the beach, 

 but sometimes only among the bare rocks. It was diffi- 

 cult to make these birds leave their nests, and so little 

 inclined were many of them to do it, that they even per- 

 mitted us to handle them, whilst they were sitting, without 

 their appearing to be at all alarmed. Under each of them 

 were two or four eggs ; the latter is the number they lay, 

 but from many of them two had been taken for food by 

 the natives, who prefer those which have young ones in 

 them. June 24;th." A few days later (June 27th) he 

 visited the island of Vidoe, the residence of the ex- 

 governor, where, he says, " we were shown the immense 

 number of Eider Ducks which lived on Vidoe, and which 

 were now sitting on eggs or young ones, exhibiting a most 

 interesting scene. The ex-governor made us go and coax 

 some of the old birds, who did not on that account disturb 

 themselves. Almost every little hollow place between the 

 rocks is occupied with the nests of these birds, which are 

 so numerous that we were obliged to walk with the greatest 

 caution, to avoid trampling upon them ; but, besides this, 

 the ex- governor has a number of holes cut in the smooth 

 and sloping side of a hill in two rows, and in every one of 

 these, also, there is a nest. No Norfolk housewife is half 

 so solicitous after her poultry as the ex-governor after his 

 Eider Ducks, which by their down and eggs afford him a 

 considerable revenue ; since the former sells for three rix- 

 dollars (twelve shillings) a pound. Cats and dogs are, at 

 this season of the year, all banished from the island, so 

 that nothing may disturb these birds." I need scarcely 



