XV. 



ANAS MOLISSIMA. (linn.) 

 EiBER Duck, St. Cuthbert's Duck. 



Several of this fine species breed annually upon the islands 

 of the Northumberland coast, the Fame and Coquet islands, 

 and begin to lay their eggs during the first week in June. 



They appear to be particularly attached to the neighbour- 

 hood of some dwelling place or deserted building (no doubt 

 for the sake of shelter), for upon the numerous Fame islands, 

 though odd ones breed here and there, yet the bulk of them 

 seem partial to one of them, where are the remains of an old 

 light-house, around the walls of which we found about a dozen 

 of their nests ; some had even established themselves within, 

 and under the roofs of the deserted rooms, where they were 

 well protected from the weather. Upon the Coquet island 

 also, twenty miles farther south, about the same number lay 

 their eggs and rear their young ones against the walls and 

 upon the low roof of an inhabited house, and so closely do 

 they sit, that you may nearly touch them before they will 

 leave their eggs ; — thus completely is the roving wild nature 

 of birds tamed and subdued at this season of the year by an 

 uncontrolable and wonderful impulse. 



Mr. Rennie is quite under a mistake when he says that 

 their nests " are seldom if ever found on the shores of the 

 main-land ;" for in passing along the coast between Holy 

 Island and the Fames, in search of the holes in which the 

 Sheldrake breeds, we accidentally met with several of their 

 nests upon the links, or banks adjoining the sea-beach. In 

 all these places there was abundance of grass ; the foundation 

 of the nests was consequently of this material, thickly lined 

 with their own exquisitely soft down, amongst which the eggs 

 lie, five in number, though it is not an unusual thing to find 



