46 FROM NORTH POLE TO EQUATOR. 



beside her nest and carefully spreads the surrounding fringe of 

 down with her bill, so that it forms a concealing and protecting 

 cover for the eggs. Then she flies quickly out to the sea, dives 

 repeatedly, and hastily fills crop and gullet to the full with mussels, 

 bathes, cleans, and oils herself, and returns to land, drying and 

 smoothing her feathers continuously as she walks towards her 

 nest. Both her neighbours sit seemingly as innocent as before, but 

 in the interval a theft has been perpetrated by at least one of 

 them. As soon as the first had flown away, one of them rose from 

 her nest, and lifting the cover of her neighbour's nest, quickly rolled 

 one, two, three, or four eggs with her feet into her own nest, then 

 carefully replaced the cover, and resumed her place, rejoicing over 

 her unrighteously-increased clutch. The returning duck probably 

 notices the trick that has been played, but she makes not the 

 slightest sign, and calmly settles down to brood again as though she 

 thought, "Just wait, neighbour, you must go to the sea, too, and 

 then I'll do to you what you have done to me ". As a matter of 

 fact, the eggs of several nests standing close together are shifted 

 continuously from one to another. Whether it is her own or 

 another's children that come to life under her motherly breast 

 seems to matter very little to the eider-duck they are children, 

 at any rate! 



The duck sits about twenty-six days before the eggs are hatched. 

 The Norseman, who goes to work intelligently, lets her do as she 

 pleases this time, and not only refrains from disturbing her, but 

 assists her as far as possible by keeping away from the island all 

 enemies who might harass the bird. He knows his ducks, if not 

 personally, at least to this extent, that he can tell about what time 

 this or that one will have finished brooding, and will set out with 

 her ducklings to seek the safety of the sea. The journey thither 

 brings sudden destruction to many unwatched young eider-ducks. 

 Not only the falcons breeding on or visiting the island, but even 

 more the ravens, the skuas, and the larger gulls watch for the first 

 appearance of the ducklings, attack them on the way, and carry oft' 

 one or more of them. The owner of the island seeks to prevent 

 this in a manner which enables one to appreciate how thoroughly 



