Feb. g, igoi.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
109 
are merely narrowly streaked with black. The crown 
of the head is darkest. The under parts are a grayish 
rather than reddish brown, with darker bars. The tips 
ol the secondaries are white, forming two bars across 
the wing. Length about twenty-two inches. 
The eider duck inhabits the northern shores of both 
coasts of the Atlantic. In winter it is found in more or 
less abundance along the New England coast, and I have 
seen it killed as far south as Long Island Sound. 
The eider breeds m Labrador, and to the northward, 
and in many parts of Europe is almost a domestic bird. 
COMMON EIDER. 
• 
The down, which is plucked from the breast of the 
female for the hning of the nest, is a valuable article of 
ccmmerce, and in an earlier chapter something has been 
said about the way these birds are protected and their 
down secured in Norway and Iceland. 
When seen along the coast of southern. New England 
I he eider is often found associated with the scoters, there 
rommonly known as coots, and when killed it is usually 
.shot out of flocks of these birds. 
Mr. Gordon Trumbull notes as names of this bird, 
and of the next, tlie terms sea duck and drake, shoal 
duck. Isles of Shoah duck, wamp (this being of Indian 
origin, probably from wompi, white). 
American Eider. 
Somateria dresseri (Sharpe). 
In this species the colors of both sexes are precisely 
like those of the preceding. The differences between the 
two lie chiefly in the manner in which the feathers of the 
front of the head meet the naked portions of the bill. In 
these eiders, on either side of tlie forehead a branch of 
the naked skin of the bill runs up into the feathers, which 
border it above and below. In the case of the common 
eider these branches are narrow and run up nearly to 
a point, but in the x\merican form they are broad and 
terminate abruptly and blunth'. In the common eider, 
therefore, the feather patches running down into the: 
angles between the naked skin are broad, while in the 
American eider they are narrow. There is also some 
dif?erence in Ihe shape of the bills hi the two species, 
that of the cominon eider appearing slightly straighter 
AMERICAN EIDER. 
and mote slender, while in the American bird the upper 
outline of the bill in profile is slightly concave. Slight 
as are the differences between the two, they appear' to 
be constant and to be of specific value,' • 
The American eider is the commoner of the two along 
the American coast. It is said to be found in winter 
along the .Atlantic as far south as the Delaware River, 
but this perhaps only in winters of unusual severity. The 
American eider sometimes goes inland, and has been 
taken on the Great Lakes and in adjacent States, but 
there it is only an accidental straggler. 
Its breeding grounds are in Labrador and from there 
to the Bay of Fnndy. The nest is on the ground, very 
often on small islands, at a little distance from the main- 
land, and is formed of moss, vveeds and twigs. Often it 
is under the shelter of some little low-growing ever- 
green, or in the open ground, behind the shelter , of a 
rock, The eggs are few in number, .only six. and are 
usually deposited on the soft layer of down with which 
the nest is lined. When the mother leaves the nest she 
covers the eggs with this down. The young are dark 
mouse color when first hatched and are at once expert 
in swimming and diving. As soon as the fernales begin 
to sit, the males leave them and assemble in flocks in the 
open water. The eggs are said to be of two colors — one 
a pale greenish olive, the other much browner; the paler 
egg is sometimes spotted and splashed with darker. 
The eiders are deep sea feeders, and subsist chiefly on 
small shellfish, which they bring up from the bottom, 
often at great depths. They gather together in - large 
flocks, and when they rise on the wing do so gradually, 
running and flapping along over the water for some dis- 
tance, much after the manner of the scoters. In fact, 
in many of their'- ways these birds remind us much of 
scoters. _ • • 
As might be inferred from -their food, eiders are 'nbt* 
desirable- table lSi^cte» th§- flesh ^ejngi'usaaHv- fishy 
very r^nk. ' '"' 
The Pacific Eider. 
Somateria v-nigra (Gray). 
The plumage of the adult male is extremely like that 
of the two preceding species, though the bird is some- 
what larger, with a broader and deeper bill. The black 
of the crown extends forward in the white strip beneath 
the forehead branch of the bill, but docs not reach as far 
forward as the npstril. In the male there is a large 
V-shaped black mark on tlie throat, as in the king eider, 
but in this species the V-shaped mark is longer and nar- 
rower than in the king duck. The color of the bill is 
deep orange, almost orange red, fading toward the tip, 
which is yellowish white. The legs and feet are brown- 
ish orange. ^ 
The female is pale brown on the head and neck, dark- 
est on the crown, streaked everywhere with blackish. 
The upper parts are reddish, barred with black. The 
length is about twenty-two inches. 
This eider is the common Pacific coast form found 
in. the North Pacific, Bering Sea and on the coast of 
Siberia. It is scarcely, or not at all, known south of 
.Alaska. In the Arctic Ocean it is found as far east as 
the Coppermine River. It breeds throughout much of 
this range, not only in Alaska, but on the shores of the 
.Arctic Ocean. The nests are variously placed, some- 
times at quite a distance from the water; at others, close 
to it, and sometimes on little islands in the sea. They 
are always built on the ground, and are usually abun- 
dantly provided with down. In Alaska the breeding 
ground is often in the marsh and sometimes the place 
chosen is close to human habitation. The male is re- 
ported as assisting in building the nest and as constantly 
associating with the female during the time of incuba- 
tion, though he himself takes no share in that labor. The 
PACIFIC EIDER. 
food of this eider is mussels and shellfish generally, which 
it brings up from the deep water. 
When the young are hatched, early in July, the old 
birds begin to moult. The natives pursue the ducks in 
their canoes, striking at them with their spears. It is 
said that they do not kill many. Like the other eiders 
already spoken of, the fall plumage of the male is closely 
like that 6f the female, and we are told that the young 
males only attain their full adult breeding dress at the 
commencement of the third year. The Pacific eider is a 
large and handsome duck, weighing from four to six 
pounds. It is said to be loath to fly in stormy weather 
aiid to avoid rough water, resorting to the beach during 
wind storms or else taking to sheltered bays and inlets, 
where the water is quiet. 
King Eider, 
Somateria spectabilis (Linn.). 
In the adult male the feathers about the base of the 
bill, a small s-pot below and behind the eye, and a large 
V-shaped mark on the throat, black. The whole top and 
b?ck of the head, running down to the nape of the neck, 
pearl gray or bluish white, darkest below, where it 
sometimes changes almost to black. The sides of the 
head, running back from the bill below, pearl gray, and 
a patch over the ear sea green, fading into white above 
and behind. The rest of the head, neck, middle of the 
back, most of the wing and a patch on either side of the 
rump, white; the breast, deep buff or cream color. The 
greater wing coverts, scapulars, or shoulder feathers, and 
primaries, brownish black. The scapulars and tertiary 
feathers are falcate or sickle-shaped, bending do^vnard 
over the primaries. The hinder portion of the back, 
rump, upper tail coverts and under parts, black; the tail 
i.^ brownish, black. Except in the breeding season, the 
bill is shaped much as in the ordinary eider duck, but 
in spring there is a large square soft swelling on the bill 
extending down nearly to the nostrils. The feathering 
ill the median line extends down further on the top of 
the bill than it does on. the sides, in this respect differing 
markedly from any of. the other eiders. The bill is red- 
dish orange, and the legs and feet similar, but slightly 
paler. The length is about twenty-three inches. 
The adult female has the plumage buff or tawny, 
streaked on head, chin and throat with darker, the 
streaking being most abundant on the top of the head. 
The breast and sides are somewhat paler, with black 
bars .'across the feathers. The back and shoulder feath- 
ers are blackish brown, tipped with yellowish. The 
wing feathers are mainly black or blackish brown, the 
greater coverts and secondaries being tipped with white, 
to form two narrow bars across the. wing. The tertiaries 
are reddish on the outer webs. The. rump and upper 
tail coverts are tawny, barred with black; tail, black; 
breast and belly, blackish brown; under tail coverts, 
reddish, barred with black. The bill is greenish gray, and 
the feet yellowish. 
. Like some of the other eiders, this is a bird of cir- 
cum polar di.stribution, and is found in both continents. 
It appears to be everywhere much less abundant than * 
other birds of the genus, and is found chiefly in the far J 
North, although it sometimes occurs on the New Eng i 
.land coast. It has bee^i foun^ Long- Lslaii^ Sound 
and on the New Jersey coast, as well as on one or m6re 
of the Great Lakes and on some of the far inland riv^ers. 
It appears to be nowhere a very abundant species, but is 
found in the Arctic Sea on both coasts of America, and 
is not uncommon in Alaska. All the Arctic expeditions 
report seeing it and many have found its nest. It is 
resident in Greenland, and it is said that it occasionally 
breeds as far to the southward as the Bay of Fundy. 
Mr. Charles Linden reports it as having been taken 
on a number of occasions on Lake Erie, and Mr. Nel- 
son gives it as a visitor to Lake Michigan and to other 
parts of Illinois and Wisconsin; while, the Smithsonian 
KING EIDER. 
Institution possesses specimens shot on Lake Erie and 
others secured on the Illinois Rivar. 
In Alaska Mr. Dall has found it, though not south of 
the Bering Sea. It occurs, however, in the Bering Sea, 
on both the .American and Asiatic coasts, not far south of 
Bering Straits. 
The king eider breeds far to the northward. Its nest 
is entirely simple, merely a hollow in the ground, in 
which pale green eggs are deposited, over which the 
•female bird commonly places a layer of down. 
From what has been said of its range, it will be seen 
that the king eider is not likely to come within the reach 
of the gunner, except as a very rare straggler. It is one 
of the most beautiful ducks, and the male, if killed, can 
at once be recognized. This . species feeds chiefly on 
.shellfish of various descriptions, and as may be imagined 
is not a desirable bird for the table. 
Two Maine Propositions* 
Boston, Feb. 2. — Two or three very interesting ques- 
tions are now before the law makers at Augusta, Me. 
The proposition to require all sponsmen from outside 
the State to take out a license either to hunt or fish within 
its borders has been up for discussion, and has come 
before the Committee on Fisheries and Game, or is about 
to come. It will be remembered that this same measure 
failed of _a passage two years ago and was referred to the 
next Legislature. I have sound reason to believe that one 
of the Commissioners at least is in favor of this measure, 
while one is opposed to it. tactily, if no more. It is 
very sure that if the Commission is m favor of taxing 
sportsmen from out of the State, it will be done. The 
farmers are already jealous of what is being done for the 
sporting interests; are fighting for reduced taxation, and 
will^ only be too glad to get some of the revenue out 
of "city sports," as they term visiting hunters and fisher- 
men. 
Another very important measure is the repeal of the 
September deer law. Numerous petitions have been 
handed in, and the matter has gained .some headway. 
Guide Mathison, of Rangeley, who, it will be remembered, 
\yas the first to object to and at empt to resist the guide 
license law. is out with a newspaper art'cle in favor of the 
repeal of both the September law and the guide license 
law. His article has been published in the most influential 
papers of the State. He sets forth that out of the sev- 
eral millions of dollars that th% Commissioners' report 
shows to have come into the State through her fish and 
game, the guides get less than $50 each for the whole year. 
This conclusion he arrived at by dividing the sum the 
Commissioners' report shows to have been paid to the 
guides by the number of licensed guides shown in the 
same report. He says that the guides are poor men 
generally, and that it is not right to make them buy 
licenses once a year. He declares that the September 
law is bound to destroy the deer, unless repealed. Some 
aid he will get from the lumber landowners, who don't 
want the hunters in their woods in September while 
petitions come from all parts of the State asking that the 
law be repealed. It w^ill be remembered that the Megantic 
Club has requested the Maine Commissioners to forbid 
all September deer shooting on the lands of their pre- 
serve. A number of men of great influence in fish and 
game matters are decidedly opposed to the September 
license law, but it is hardly possible that their influence 
will prevail. The revenue that such licenses bring in 
stands in the way of repeal, while the Commissioners 
favor its rete ntion. Special. 
Rhode Island Game* 
Representatito Anthony, of Portsmouth, has intro- 
duced in the House an amendment to shorten the open 
season on quail, making it from Nov. i to Jan. r, instead 
ot trom Oct. 15. The open season on partridges would 
be shortened to the same extent, while the season, on 
woodcock would be lengthened for fourteen days, or from 
Oct. I to Jan. I, instead of from Oct. is, as at present 
Ihe open season on grass plover would be from August 
to ApnL and on black duck from September to March. 
On wood duck the open season would he from September 
to March, and on teal from Sept. i to March i 
The Providence Journal of Jan. 23 renortV: A deer 
was seen on Monday near Oakland. The deer, a doe 
traveled across Sweet's pasture, going over the fences 
easily, and di.=appeared in 'he large wood« of the Elisha 
Mathewson estate. The doe was followed info the woods 
by Charles Lapham and Gilbert Smith. She was found 
there quietly browsing, and did not appear to be very 
t , ''^'^^ molested, as the neighbors all know 
l^of the heavy penalty attached for the shooting or killing 
^ Am, T^,? was thoygh^ to be about a year q\± 
