334 PROCEEDINGS: BOSTON SOCIETY NATURAL HISTORY. 



headlands on the sea coast; the Eider, and King-ducks are hastening 

 southward; and the grouse [Ptarmigan] are chattering in great flocks 

 upon the hills," — a vivid picture, truly! At the same place on October 

 8, 1783, he writes: "The first flight of Eiders went up the river this 

 evening. As those birds trim the shore along in the flight-times, 

 great numbers of flocks go up this river as high as Friend's Point, 

 and sometimes higher, but on finding their mistake, they commonly 

 return again along the opposite side, .... in general they keep over 

 salt water." 



On May 10, 1771, near Chateau Bay, he records the following 

 interesting observation: "I measured the flight of the eider ducks 

 by the following method: viz. on arriving off Duck Island, six miles 

 distant from Henley Tickle, I caused the people to lie on their oars; 

 and when I saw the flash of the guns, which were fired at a flock of 

 ducks as they passed through, I observed by my watch how long they 

 were in flying abreast of us. The result of above a dozen observa- 

 tions ascertained the rate to be ninety miles an hour." Bryant in 

 1860 says of the Eider : "Though constantly harassed by the fishermen 

 and inhabitants, [it] still breeds in great abundance along the whole 

 extent of the north shore." On Greenlet Island in the Straits of Belle 

 Isle he found over 60 nests. On this island was a stone hut used 

 "for the purpose of concealing the hunters in the spring, at which 

 time they shoot immense numbers of the Eider or Sea Ducks, as they 

 call them." 



We have already given in a previous chapter, accounts of the 

 taking of Eider's eggs on the Labrador coast. The earliest date 

 given by Cartwright for the eggs of this duck is June 3, 1778. On 

 June 12, 1779, he writes: "But the ducks had only scraped out their 

 nests yet." This was in Sandwich Bay. Some of his men, however, 

 found a few duck's eggs the same day. 



Eiders are shot in great numbers by the "liveyers" as the ducks pour 

 along the coast both spring and fall. They are less wary than the 

 King Eider and their tameness or stupidity leads to their destruction. 



Our experience with Eiders in Labrador was as follows. In the 

 Straits of Belle Isle we saw none on the Labrador side except near 

 Battle Harbor, and about 30 on the Newfoundland coast. In three 

 days, July 1 1th to 13th, about Battle Harbor and St. Lewis Sound we 

 saw 71 Eiders, some of which we may have counted twice. We saw 

 one in Hamilton Inlet, 38 near Hopedale, and 32 between Double 



