238 BRITISH BIRDS' EGGS. 



lakes in the mountainous districts, especially those of which 

 the shores are flat and boggy and covered with vegetation. 

 In Lapland it is common everywhere. Mr. Audubon de- 

 scribes the nests of this species in Labrador as "placed 

 within a few feet of the borders of small lakes, a mile or 

 two distant from the sea, and usually under the low boughs 

 of the bushes, of the twigs of which, with mosses and various 

 plants matted together, they are formed ; they are large and 

 almost flat, several inches thick, with some feathers of the 

 female, but no down under the eggs, which are usually six 

 in number." We may add that the egg is large, and of a 

 yellowish-white strongly tinged with olive-colour. 



THE COMMON OR BLACK SCOTER. (Edemia nigra. This 

 is a smaller species than the last, but somewhat resembling 

 it in form ; and in Scandinavia, of which Mr. Dann writes, 

 he states that it "frequents the same places and is very 

 similar in its habits to the Velvet Duck, both being gene- 

 rally found in the same localities." The nest, formed of 

 grass and aquatic plants, is lined with down, and the eggs, 

 from five to seven, and perhaps even ten in number, are 

 yellowish- white with a tinge of green. 



THE COMMON EIDER. Somateria mollissima. The Eider 

 Duck, though a common British bird, is chiefly met with 



