HISTORY OF 



their food as soon as out of the shell. Their nests 

 are usually built among heath or rushes, not far 

 from the water, and they lay twelve, fourteen, 

 or more eggs, before they sit : yet' this is not al- 

 ways their method ; the dangers they continually 

 encounter from their ground situation sometimes 

 obliges them to change their manner of building, 

 and their awkward nests are often seen exalted on 

 the toj)s of trees. This must be a very great la- 

 bour to perform, as the duck's bill is but ill form- 

 ed for building a nest, and giving the materials of 

 which it is composed a sufficient stability to stand 

 the weather. The nest, whether high or low, is 

 generally composed of singular materials. The 

 longest grass, mixed with heath, and lined with 

 the bird's own feathers, usually go to the compo- 

 sition : however, in proportion as the climate is 

 colder, the nest is more artificially made, and 

 more warmly lined. In the Arctic regions no- 

 thing can exceed the great care all of this kind 

 take to protect their eggs from the intenseness of 

 the weather. While the gull and the penguin 

 kind seem to disregard the severest cold, the duck 

 in those regions forms itself a hole to lay in, shel- 

 ters the approach, lines it with a layer of long 

 grass and clay, within that another of moss, and 

 lastly, a warm coat of feathers or down. The 

 eider duck is particularly remarkable for the 

 warmth of its nest. This bird, which, as was 

 said, is about twice as large as the common duck, 

 and resides in the colder climates, lays from six 

 to eight eggs, making her nest among the rocks, 

 or the plants along the sea-shore. The external 



