170 The Water-fowl Family 



species. Each morning at dawn the eiders appear 

 in small flocks at their feeding-grounds to feast 

 on mussels and other shellfish that abound in 

 these waters, and in the evening fly out to sea 

 to spend the night far from land. They are shot 

 from stool, to which at times they will decoy well, 

 or from points of land near which they are accus- 

 tomed to pass in their morning and evening 

 flights; this latter plan often proving very suc- 

 cessful in certain conditions of the weather, and 

 especially just before they start north in April. 

 At this time a roll or so of seaweed placed on the 

 shore, or a few dead eiders, will lure the passing 

 flocks ; at others, a single dead duck drifting into 

 a flock will put all to flight. Sometimes they 

 will swim in to the brant decoys at Monomoy; 

 and then their great skill in diving is evident, 

 a heavy charge fired at close range often failing 

 to bag a bird. This bird is also known as the sea- 

 duck, shoal-duck, wamp, and black and white coot. 



PACIFIC EIDER 



{Somateria v-nigrd) 



Adult male — Similar in plumage to both the common and American 

 eider, except that on the throat there is a long black V mark 

 beginning on the chin and extending to a line intersecting the 

 occiput. The bill differs from that of the other eiders, being 

 broader and deeper through the base with shorter and more 

 acute frontal angles. The color of the bill is reddish orange at 

 the base, grading into pale orange at the tip ; iris, brown ; legs 

 and feet, dusky orange. 



