308 



BAY, SEA OR DIVING DUCKS 



female, and found that the obstruction, when drawn out, was a razor 

 shell (Ensis siliqua) 10 inches long and 3 inches in circumference. How 

 any bird, even with the digestion of a sea duck, could assimilate so tough 

 a morsel with a hard and thick shell seemed a marvel." All mollusc- 

 feeding sea fowl have strong and powerful gizzards that mechanically 

 and readily break the shells into small pieces upon which the chemical 

 secretions more quickly operate. It is said that the grinding of the giz- 

 zard can sometimes be heard if the observer places his ear near the body 

 of a live duck that has recently fed upon these molluscs. By frequent 

 deposition of excrements of finely ground mussel shells on favourite 

 sleeping areas on the upland parts of coastal islands, eiders add to the 

 available calcium in the soil to the betterment of the ranges of lime- 

 requiring (calcophilous) plants. 



The flight of the American Eider is identical with that of the North- 

 ern Eider, the flight of which Bent (1925) says "is apparently slow, 

 heavy and labored, but in reality it is much stronger and swifter than 

 it appears and exceedingly straight and direct. Its heavy head is held 

 low, with the bill pointing somewhat downward, a characteristic and 

 diagnostic attitude. Eiders usually fly in small flocks, in Indian file 

 [or abreast], close to the water, often following the indentations of the 

 shore line, but very seldom flying over the land. In rough weather a 

 flock of eiders is apt to follow the trough of the sea and is often lost to 



sight between the waves. I have seen one, when shot at and perhaps 

 wounded, dive out of the air into the water and not show itself again. 

 It is an expert at diving and hiding below the surface; if there is only 

 the slightest ripple on the water it can conceal itself and swim away with 

 only a portion of its bill protruding and almost invisible. As stated 

 above, eiders are capable of diving to depths of 8 or 10 fathoms if neces- 

 sary. In diving, the wings are partially opened and used to a limited 

 extent in swimming under water, but the wings are not wholly spread; 

 progress seems to be made mainly by the use of the feet." 



The courtship of the American Eider can be observed during the 

 latter part of May and in June along the southern coast of the Labrador 

 Peninsula. It is described by Townsend as follows: "The actual court- 

 ship of the eider may be recognized from afar by the love note of the 



