Duck-sbooting 169 



The American eider has a more southern range 

 than the northern bird, nesting from the coasts of 

 Labrador as far south as Maine, where it summers 

 on the rocky islands off Grand Manan, unfortu- 

 nately now in sadly diminished numbers. Far- 

 ther north small islands off the coast, more rarely 

 the mainland, afford sites for their breeding pur- 

 poses. The nest is on the ground, and the scrub 

 brush with which the shores are lined often gives 

 it a shelter. In the fall flocks of these birds gather 

 far out in the open water. The wild islands 

 offshore give them a resting-place when they 

 need one ; storms and cold do not worry, and 

 few conditions prevent them from a living. Mol- 

 lusks and various shellfish are their food. In 

 winter we see them off Massachusetts, rarely 

 farther south. The long lines of heavy, cumber- 

 some birds, marked by the striking black and 

 white of the male, are unmistakable. They keep 

 close to the water with powerful flight and pass 

 on their way, giving little heed to outsiders ; strong 

 and difficult to bring down, the wounded bird 

 readily escapes. Occasionally this species is found 

 on the Great Lakes in cold winters. 



The American eider is usually very common 

 in winter in the shallow waters of Nantucket 

 Sound, and Mr. George H. Mackay states that 

 on March 18, 1890, he saw near Nantucket a 

 flock containing about twelve thousand of this 



