210 
ANAS MOLLISSIMA. 
tliey abaiidou the place altog-ether. One female, ciuri'h 
the ^^•hole time of laying-, generally gives half a poi'j 
of down ; and we are told, that in the year 1730, Wj 
Iceland Company sold as much of this article as amount'* 
to three tliousaiid seven hundred aud forty-tive ^ 
dollars, besides what was directly sent to GluckstadJ’ 
The down from dead birds is little esteemed, liavi'v 
lost its elasticity. 
Tiiese birds .associate together in flocks, generall.^ 
deep water, diving for shell lish, which constitute 
principal food. They frequently retire to the rO‘>J 
shores to rest, p.artiiadarly on the appearance ol 
iipproacliing storm. Tliey are numerous on the 
ot Labrador, and are occasionally seen in winter a'* * i 
south as the capes of Dehuvare. Their flesh is estee>“'’j 
by the inhabitants of Greenland, but tastes strongly ^ 
flsh. 
The length of this species is two feet three 
extent three feet ; weight between sis and .seven pou'y'j 
the head is large, and the hill of singular structure, la""' 
three inches in length, forked in a remarkable niau"', 
running high up in the forehead, between which •‘'f 
plum, age descends nearly to the nostril • the whol^ ‘'i 
the bill is of a dull yellon ish horn colour, some"^ 
dusky in the middle ; upper part of the head, deep 
black, divided laterally on the liiudhcad hv a 
band ; cheeks, white j sides of the head pale pea 
marked with a narrow line of white dropt frm" ^ • 
ear feathers ; the plumage of this part of the 
the throat, is tumid, and looks as if cut off at the 
‘ 1 
fiiJ' 
for immediately below the neck it suddenly luirml''^ 
somewhat iu tlie manner of the hnftcl-head, cnlaf!^',;- 
again greatly as it de.sceuds, and h.as a singular 
between the shoulders behind g the upper part d 
neck, the hack, scapulars, lesser wing-coverts, and 
of the rum)i, arc pure white ; lower jiart of the hn’?’ 
holly, and vent, black ; tail, primaries, and second#!:!^ 
brownish black ; the tertials curiously curved, idl* 
* Zetters on Iceland, by Uso Van Tkoii., p. Hd. 
