102 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vii. 



the drake continued to call until she came nearer and 

 eventually settled down upon the nest nearest the tent. 

 The drake then went back to the water. 



The keeper who was observing the birds through his 

 glasses at some distance, said that the drake arrived on 

 the island accompanied by two ducks — the second 

 presumably being the owner of the nest of unincubated 



EIDER DUCK COVEEING HER EGGS. 

 {Copyright hy Maud D. Haviland.) 



eggs — and that all three birds walked round the tent 

 together. On another occasion I saw a drake Eider 

 standing beside a nest on which the duck was incubating, 

 from which it would appear that the male bird took 

 some interest in domestic concerns, at any rate in the 

 earlier stages ; but for the most part, although he 

 loitered in the vicinity of the island with his male 

 companions, he was not to be seen actually on the nest. 

 Once or twice, while bird-nesting on the extensive moors 

 in the neighbourhood, we found isolated pairs of Eiders 



