44 HAPPY HUNTING-GROUNDS 



duck already sitting upon it, and as yet it contained 

 only one egg instead of the usual number of from five 

 to eight. The bird was already there upon the soft 

 heap of down, and allowed us to approach quite close 

 to her. When the tale of eggs is complete, and the 

 process of incubation has begun, you may touch and 

 even stroke the attentive mother without causing her 

 to leave her nest. 



The young birds usually do not take to the 

 water until nearly half-grown. It was no un- 

 common thing to come upon nearly full-grown birds 

 left on shore at high spring tides, which waddled 

 away in front of us and made no effort to fly. They 

 seemed quite helpless out of the water ; and in early 

 days we knocked one on the head from quite bene- 

 volent motives, under the supposition that it was a 

 wounded bird. The post-mortem failed to reveal any 

 traces of injury, and I am happy to say that it was 

 the only member of its tribe killed by us during our 

 many visits. During the nesting season the drakes 

 have a queer note, which my son describes in his note- 

 book as " a kind of 656h, with a shocked intonation." 

 He adds that " the drake throws his head up and 

 down, and then puts it back, resting on the body 

 with the bill pointed upwards. The ducks when 

 put off their nests quack like an ordinary duck when 

 alarmed." 



I believe the eider-down industry, so common and 

 lucrative in Norway, might easily be introduced into 

 Colonsay ; and I have no hesitation in suggesting it, 

 as it involves no cruelty to the birds, and indeed 

 makes for their protection. In Norway the only bird 

 which it is absolutely illegal to kill is the eider, and I 



