THE EIDER DUCK. 



Mode of procuring the down. 



tinues on watch near the shore; but as soon as 

 the young are hatched, he leaves them. The 

 mother, however, remains with them a consider- 

 able time afterwards. It is curious to observe 

 her manner of leading them out of the nest, al- 

 most as soon as they creep from the eggs. 

 Going before them to the shore, they trip after 

 her : and, when she comes to the water-side, she 

 takes them on her back, and swims a few yards 

 with them, when she dives; and the young ones 

 are left floating on the surface, obliged to take 

 care of themselves. They are seldom seen after- 

 wards on land. 



From these birds is produced the soft down so 

 well known by the name of eider, or edder down, 

 with which (as before observed) they line the in- 

 side of their nests, which renders them particularly 

 warm. When the natives come to the nest, they 

 carefully remove the female, and take away the su- 

 perfluous down and eggs ; after this they replace 

 ; the female: she then begins to lay afresh, and 

 covers her eggs with new down, which she also 

 plucks from her body ; when this is scarce, or 

 she has no more left, the male comes to her as- 

 sistance, and covers the eggs with his down, 

 which is white, and easily distinguished from that 

 of the female. When the young ones leave the 

 nest, which is about an hour after they are 

 hatched, it is once more plundered. 



The most eggs, and the best down, are got 

 during the first three weeks of their laying; and 



VOL. IV. NO. 27. 2 B 



