170 AQCJATIC FOWL. 



the shore, found multitudes of these birds, which hardly moved 

 out of the way, and between the landing-place and the governor's 

 house it required some caution to avoid treading on the nests, 

 while the drakes were walking about, even more familiar than 

 the common ducks, and uttering a sound which was like the 

 cooing of doves. The ducks were sitting on their nests all round 

 the house, on the garden-wall, on the roofs nay, even in the 

 inside of the houses, and in the chapel. Those which had not 

 been long on the nest generally left it when they were approached ; 

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

 and suffered the party to touch them. The food of the Eider 

 duck consists of small Crustacea, muscles, shell-fish, and other 

 marine animals, in quest of which they dive. 



THE WIDGEON 



Is an autumnal visitor of our lakes and ponds. It has been known 

 to partially breed with us ; but the greater number are migra- 

 tory, appearing in autumn, and returning in the spring, to their 

 breeding quarters, which are said to be principally Norway, 

 Sweden, and Lapland. The nest is constructed in the same way 

 as of the teal and wild duck, formed chiefly of the down from 

 the breast of the parent bird. They thrive well in confinement, 

 and are very ornamental the male showing the change of 

 plumage so frequently found in the ducks, after the breeding 

 season, and assuming the brightness of colour as the pairing 

 season approaches. They are constant associates of the mallard 

 and teal. On the male, in adult plumage, the bill is bluish-gray, 

 black towards the tip, and having the nail of that colour. The 

 forehead and crown are pale, buff-orange ; chin and throat, black ; 

 while the rest of the head and neck are rich orange brown ; breast, 

 purplish-red, tinged with gray ; belly and vent, pure white ; the 

 back, scapular, sides, and flanks are finely waived with irregular 

 bars of black and white ; smaller wing coverts, next the shoulders, 

 gray ; the others, pure white, the greater coverts with black tips ; 

 the secondaries, in the centre, forming the speculum, glossy 

 green ; the base and tips of the feathers, black ; quills, hair- 

 brown ; the tertials, which are always conspicuous in this family, 

 have their inner webs gray, the outer ones velvet-black, mar- 

 gined with pure white ; tail, brown, and rather lengthened in 

 form. In the female, the head and neck are yellowish brown, 

 thickly covered with blackish brown spots ; upper parts, grayish 

 brown ; the feathers with paler margins ; breast, belly, and vent, 



