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EIDER PUCK. 
on the shores of the sea, on islands, or on the turf of rocky 
places, forming a bulky nest, lined with down from their own 
breasts, and laying a number of large, smooth, greenish white 
eggs. Their flight is steady, direct, moderately rapid, and 
performed by quick beats. They swim and dive expertly, 
remain long imder the water, and are more or less grega- 
rious, even in the breeding season. The down winch lines 
the nest and is intermingled with the eggs, has been plucked 
by the female from her breast, and is collected in large 
quantities in some northern localities. 
COMMON EIDER. 
St. Cuthbert's Duck, as the first of the above species is 
often called, from the circumstance of its breeding on a 
rock which bears the name of St. Cuthbert's Isle, situated 
on the Scottish coast, although indigenous to some 
of the northern parts of England, is known only as a 
rare winter visitant to the southern parts of the kingdom, 
its most southerly breeding place with us is the Fern 
Islands, on the northern coast of Northumberland ; and 
there it would no doubt become very plentiful, but for the 
indiscriminate plunder of its eggs, which are taken, with 
those of the Gulls, Guillemots, &c., and sold for a mere trifle 
to the inhabitants of the main land. The usual number 
of these eggs is five, of a fine asparagus-green colour, and 
