The Eider Duck.-] OF ORKNEY. 137 



Species 5. The Eider Duck. 



Wormius's Eider or Soft-feathered Duck, the Cuthbert Duck, WiL Orn. 362. 

 Rail Syn. Ao. 141. Eider Anas, Sib. Scot. 21. The Colk, Mart. West. 

 Isles, 25. Colca, Buck. Hist. Scot. lib. 1. Anas mollissima, Lin.Sys. 198. 

 Brit. Zool. 454. Ore.* Duntergoose. Pen. Tour. 37. tab. 1. 



THESE birds in winter frequent our sounds and bays in large 

 flocks, both of males and females, but for the most part go 

 off in the spring. A few pairs build in a holm belonging to 

 Trail of Holland, in the north isles, constructing their nests 

 of sea-tang and the down of their own breasts. 



This is a very beautiful bird, especially the male, the bill 

 of which is black, as is the forehead, and a broad black bar 

 from the bill to the eyes, which passes to the hind part of the 

 head ; the crown of the head, the cheeks, the neck, back, 

 scapulars, and coverts of the wings are white ; this is finely va- 

 riegated by the lower part of the breast, the belly, the tail, 

 and quill feathers, which are a full black. The female has 

 none of these colours ; she is of a uniform brown, barred with 

 black ; the quills black ; the belly a deep brown ; the tail 

 dusky. 



These ducks in spring swim in flocks, and nothing can be 

 more pleasant in a fine day than to see two or three dozen of 

 them sailing by ; the lively black and white of the males, in- 

 termixed with the darker colours of the females, contributes 



* Vide Sib. 21. 

 S 



