210 ANAS MOLLISSIMA. 



they abandon the place altogether. One female, during 

 the whole time or laying, generally gives h;;!f a poUM 

 of down; and we are told, that in the year 1750, the 

 Iceland Company sold as much of this article as amounted 

 to three thousand seven hundred and forty-five banco 

 dollars, besides what was directly sent to Gluckstadt.* 

 The down from dead birds is little esteemed, having 

 lost its elasticity. 



These birds associate together in flocks, generally in 

 deep water, diving for shell fish, which constitute their 

 principal food. They frequently retire to the rocky 

 shores to rest, particularly on the appearance of an 

 approaching storm. They are numerous on the coast 

 of Labrador, and are occasionally seen in winter as far 

 south as the capes of Delaware. Their flesh is esteemed 

 by the inhabitants of Greenland, but tastes strongly of 

 fish. 



The length of this species is two feet three inches, 

 extent three feet ; weight between six and seven pounds ; 

 the head is large, and the bill of singular structure, being 

 three inches in length, forked in a remarkable manner, 

 running high up in the forehead, between which the 

 plumage descends nearly to the nostril ; the whole of 

 the bill is of a dull yellowish horn colour, somewhat 

 dusky in the middle ; upper part of the head, deep velvet 

 black, divided laterally on the hindhead by a whitish 

 band ; cheeks, white ; sides of the head pale pea green, 

 marked with a narrow line of white dropt from the 

 ear feathers ; the plumage of this part of the head to 

 the throat, is tumid, and looks as if cut off at the end, 

 for immediately below the neck it suddenly narrows, 

 somewhat in the manner of the buffel-head, enlarging 

 again greatly as it descends, and has a singular hollow 

 between the shoulders behind ; the upper part of the 

 neck, the back, scapulars, lesser wing-coverts, and sides 

 of the rump, are pure white ; lower part of the breast, 

 belly, and vent, black ; tail, primaries, and secondaries, 

 brownish black; the tertials curiously curved, falling 



* Letters on Iceland, by UNO VAN TKOIL, p. 146. 



