390 Birds 



and Scotland, becomes more numerous as we go further 

 north, and is most abundant on Iceland and the Arctic 

 shores, both of Europe and America. This bird is par- 

 ticularly valuable for the great quantity of down which 

 it furnishes, as this is so light and elastic that beds and 

 quilts made from it are preferable to any others. The 

 birds line their nests with this beautiful material plucked 

 from their own bodies, and it is chiefly by plundering 

 the nests that the down is obtained. Each nest will 

 furnish about half a pound of down in the season, and it 

 is worth about four dollars a pound. 



THE WIDGEON, (Mareca Penelope,) 



WEIGHS about twenty-two ounces, and feeds upon grass 

 and roots growing at the bottom of lakes, rivers, and 

 ponds. The plumage of this bird is much variegated, 

 and its flesh esteemed a great delicacy, though not so 

 highly praised as that of the teal. The bill of the 

 Widgeon is black ; the head and upper part of the neck 

 of a bright bay ; the back and sides under the wing 

 waved with black and white ; the breast purple ; the 

 lower part of the body white, and the legs are dusky. 

 The ) T oung of both sexes are gre} r , and continue in this 

 plain garb till the month of February ; after which a 

 change takes place, and the plumage of the male begins 

 to assume its rich colourings, in which, it is said, he 

 continues till the end of July; and then again the 



