NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Description Nest Eggs. 



THE EIDER DUCK. 



THIS species is atotrt twice the size of the 

 common duck. Its bill is black and cylindrical ; 

 the feathers of the forehead and cheeks advance 

 far into the base. In the male, the feathers of 

 part of the head, of the lower part of the breast, 

 the belly, and the tail, are black, as are also the 

 quill-feathers of the wings; and nearly all the 

 rest of the body is white. The legs are green. 

 The female is of a reddish brown, variously 

 marked with black and dusky streaks. It is 

 principally found in the western isles of Scotland, 

 on the coasts of Norway, Iceland, and Green- 

 land, and in many parts of North America, par- 

 ticularly in the Esquimaux Islands. 



In Iceland, the eider ducks generally build 

 their nests on small islands not far from the shore ; 

 and sometimes even near the dwellings of the 

 natives, who treat them with so much attention 

 and kindness, as to render them nearly tame. 

 Sometimes two females will lay their eggs in the 

 same nest, in which case they always agree re- 

 markably well. The female lays from three to 

 five eggs (sometimes so many as eight) which are 

 large, smooth, glossy, and of a pale olive colour. 

 They generally lay among stones, or plants, near 

 the sea, but in a soft bed of dx>wn, which they 

 pluck from their own breasts. 



As long as the female is sitting, the male con-- 



