020 BRITISH BIRDS. 



supply of the precious down. Each duck yields about four ounces of down, 

 which, when cleaned, is worth about a sovereign a pound. The Eider 

 soon becomes reconciled to captivity, and will then readily partake of 

 grain and other vegetable food. 



The Common Eider is considerably larger than the Mallard. The 

 adult male in nuptial dress is a remarkably handsome bird. The 

 forehead and crown are black, with a white line on the hind crown ; 

 the nape is emerald-green, divided by a white line from a green patch on 

 each side of the neck. The rest of the head, the neck, mantle, elongated 

 and falcated innermost secondaries, lesser and median wing-coverts and 

 scapulars, a conspicuous patch on each side of the rump, are white, 

 slightly suffused with yellow on the scapulars and innermost secondaries, 

 and shading into rich buff on the upper breast. The lower back, rump, 

 upper tail-coverts, primary-coverts, greater wing-coverts, secondaries, 

 lower breast, belly, flanks, and under tail-coverts are deep black. The 

 primaries and tail-feathers are dark brown. Bill olive-green, paler on the 

 nail; legs and feet pale olive-green; irides hazel. The adult female is 

 chestnut-brown, streaked on the head and neck, and barred on the rest of 

 the small feathers, with nearly black. Quills and tail-feathers dark brown ; 

 greater wing-coverts and central secondaries with white tips. Young in 

 first plumage closely resemble adult females, but the two white alar bars 

 are very indistinct, and the margins of all the feathers are grey instead 

 of chestnut. Males may be distinguished from females by the nearly 

 black sides of their heads. Males in first nuptial dress may be distinguished 

 by the remains of greyish-brown feathers on both the white and black 

 parts. Males in moulting-dress closely resemble males in first plumage, 

 but generally have some white and black feathers of the nuptial dress 

 remaining. Young in down have the upper parts dark brown, and the 

 underparts, as well as a broad streak over each eye, pale brown. 



