152 WOODLANDERS AND FIELD FOLK 



III 



EIDER DUCKS 



EIDER ducks are among the most interesting of our 

 sea-birds. Three species are found in this country; 

 these are the common eider, the king eider, and 

 Steller's eider. 



The British eiders are essentially sea ducks 

 rarely even entering rivers, and seldom roving far 

 inland. Occasionally found in our southern seas, 

 they become more numerous as we ascend the east 

 coast, until upon the Fames, off Northumberland, 

 we reach their most southern breeding haunts. 

 On Holy Island and Lindisfarne a few pairs of St 

 Cuthbert's ducks have bred time out of mind. 

 Except during times of nesting, the whole life of 

 the bird seems spent upon the element whence it 

 derives its food crustaceans, namely and this it 

 always obtains by diving. In their northern breed- 

 ing haunts the eiders begin to collect about the first 

 week in May, and by the^end of the third week most 

 of the ducks have begun to lay. As soon as the 

 colony has got well about this business the drakes 

 leave the land, and for weeks may be seen between 

 the islands, or spreading themselves down the coast- 

 line in search of favourite feeding-grounds. They 

 never go far from the ducks, however, nor do they at 



