AMERICAN EIDER. 327 



renew their laying as often as three times." According to the 

 relation of Sir George Mackenzie, on the 8th of June, at Vidcie, 

 the Eider Ducks, at all other times of the year perfectly wild, 

 had now assembled in great numbers to nestle. The boat by 

 which the party approached the shore passed through multi- 

 tudes of these beautiful fowls, which scarcely gave themselves 

 the trouble to go out of the way. " Between the landing-place 

 and the governor's house the ground was strewed with them, 

 and it required some caution to avoid treading on the nests. 

 The drakes were walking about uttering a sound very like the 

 cooing of Doves, and were even more familiar than the common 

 Domestic Ducks. All round the house, on the garden wall, on 

 the roofs, and even in the inside of the houses and in the 

 chapel were numbers of Ducks sitting on their nests. Such as 

 had not been long on the nest generally left it on being 

 approached ; but those that had more than one or two eggs 

 sat perfectly quiet, suifering us to touch them, and sometimes 

 making a gentle use of their bills to remove our hands. When 

 51 drake happens to be near his mate, he is extremely agitated 

 when any one approaches her. He passes and repasses be- 

 tween her and the object of his suspicion, raising his head and 

 cooing." 



One female, during the whole time of laying, generally gives 

 half a pound of neat down, and double that quantity before 

 cleansing. According to Troil, in the year 1750 the Iceland 

 Company sold as much of this article as amounted to ;^850 

 sterling, besides deducting what was sent directly to Gluckstad. 



At the time of pairing, according to Brunnich and Skiolde- 

 brand, the male is heard continually calling out with a raucous 

 and moaning voice 'ha ho, 'ha ho ; but the cry of the female 

 resembles that of the Common Duck. At this exciting period 

 the males, more numerous than their mates, have sharp con- 

 tests with each other, and the vanquished and superannuated 

 are afterwards seen wandering about at sea in much milder 

 climates than the rest of their fraternity. Both birds labor in 

 concert while forming the nest, and though the male gives no 

 assistance in hatching, during the period of laying he keeps 



