The food of the Eider consists entirely of small shell-fish, sea-insects, 

 and young crustaceans, and it is an amusing sight to watch an Eider 

 struggling with a fair-sized crab, which it endeavours to swallow whole. 



During the month of March pairing begins, and the flocks of Eider 

 Ducks break up. Nest-building commences in May, the birds preferring 

 low, uninhabited islands covered with sea-campion and coarse herbage; but 

 they will nest often far from water, or among precipitous rocks on grass- 

 covered ledges, or even among old ruins, as on the Bass Rock, where I saw 

 an Eider's nest not twelve feet from a Peregrine Falcon's abode. 



The nest of the Eider is a pretty substantial collection of seaweed, 

 bladder-campion or dead grass, the down being added when the full com- 

 plement of eggs is nearly reached. On the Fame Islands, where a considerable 

 number of these birds breed, the nests were for preference hidden among the 

 masses of sea-campion, nettle, and sorrel, with which several of the islands 

 are covered, but I also saw many nests among the broken rocks, in crevices, 

 among dead seaweed, or even on the bare stones on the sea-shore among 

 the drift-wood above high-water mark. On the west coast of Scotland, 

 where I have repeatedly seen the nests of the Eider on the moors nearly 

 a mile from water, the nest is largely composed of heather, only a little dry 

 grass or moss being added besides the down ; in sandy places the Eider often 

 does not trouble about a nest, but lays her eggs in a hollow in the ground 

 well lined with down. 



The eggs of the Eider vary in number from five to eight, and are 

 greyish green in colour, some specimens being much yellower in colour than 

 others ; they vary considerably in size, from 3-4 to 2-8 inches in length, 

 and from 2 to 1-8 inches in breadth. 



The down is brownish grey, with obscure pale centres, the down of one 

 bird being sometimes slightly browner than that of another. 



Young in down are uniform dark brown on the upper parts, with a 

 broad pale brown streak over each eye, and light brown under parts. They 

 are often killed by the Black-backed Gulls, though bravely defended by the 

 mother. When alarmed they make for the open sea at once, diving boldly 

 through the breaking waves, and are helped by the old Eider, who takes 

 them on her back as they get tired. 



I was returning to my boat one day from the top of the Bass Rock, 

 where I had been taking photographs of the Gannets, and was making a 

 devour round part of the ruins to get a snap-shot at some Puffins, when I 

 came suddenly upon an old Eider with four ducklings evidently not long 



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