THE EIDER DUCK. 



Somateria mollissima. 

 *o 



a 



ROM a commercial point of 

 view, the Eider Duck is pro- 

 bably the most valuable 

 member of the Duck family. 

 The fine down so much prized 

 and admired, known as eider- 

 down, is obtained from these 

 birds, and always commands 

 a very high price. In Nor- 

 way, Iceland, and Greenland, 

 they are consequently strictly 

 protected when breeding, and 

 by judiciously removing the 

 eggs and down from the nest, 

 the birds lay again and fur- 

 nish a fresh supply, and each 

 duck is said to yield about 

 four ounces of down. 



In Denmark, Norway, 

 and Sweden this bird is vari- 

 ously known as the Eider, 

 Eder, or Edder. Its range 

 extends to Iceland, Spitzber- 

 gen, Nova Zembla, the Faroe 

 Island s, Baffin's Bay, and 



