464 DOMESTICATION. 



But this is probably a fallacy. It is true that when the 

 body of the old bird is submerged which is always the 

 case when danger threatens and that the young brood are 

 collected about her, it looks much as if they were actually 

 seated on her back; but if this were so, they must hold 

 fast by the bill, which they clearly never do, their heads at 

 such times being quite erect. 



The eider is easily domesticated. Several are now in the 

 Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park. The late Earl of Derby 

 had also a good many at Knowsley, which were taken near 

 to Gothenburg when only a few days old. I assisted at 

 their capture, and for several weeks afterwards they remained 

 with me. We reared them without any difficulty. They 

 fed freely on worms, shell-fish, &c. on almost anything in 

 short that was given to them. 



In those parts of Scandinavia where the eider is protected, 

 its down becomes a valuable article of commerce. That 

 obtained from the nest, which is plucked by the bird from 

 its own body, is reputed to be infinitely superior to that from 

 the dead bird. If taken from the latter, it ought to be in 

 the winter or spring ; for in the summer and autumn, when 

 the eider moults, the down becomes so mixed up with blood 

 feathers, as to be little worth. 



I have seen it stated in English books, that each eider's 

 nest produces half-a-pound of down ! If several birds be 

 contributors to the same nest, this by possibility may be the 

 case, but individually it cannot be ; for the utmost we could 

 procure, even from a bird in full plumage, whether male or 

 female, little exceeded, on the average, half an ounce. 



When speaking on the subject, Kjaerbolling remarks : 

 " Every nest contains about one-sixth of a pound ; and sup- 



