THE EIDER DUCK. 
247 
exceeds seven inches in diameter. In the beginning 
of June the eggs are deposited, the male attending 
upon the female the whole time. The eggs,, which 
are regularly placed on the moss and weeds of the 
nest, without any down, are generally from five to 
seven, three inches in length, two inches and one- 
eighth in breadth, being thus much larger than those 
of the Domestic Duck, of a regular oval form, 
smooth-shelled, and of a uniform pale olive-green. 
When the full complement of eggs has been laid, 
she begins to pluck some down from the lower parts 
of her body; this operation is daily continued for 
some time, until the roots of the feathers, as far for- 
ward as she can reach, are quite bare, and as clean 
as a wood from which the undergrowth has been 
cleared away. This down she disposes beneath and 
around the eggs. When she leaves the nest to go 
in search of food, she places it over the eggs ; and in 
this manner, it may be presumed to keep up their 
warmth, although it does not always ensure their 
safety, for the Black-backed Gull is apt to remove 
the covering, and suck or otherwise destroy the eggs. 
The care which the mother takes of her young for 
two or three weeks, cannot be exceeded. She leads 
them gently in a close flock in shallow waters, where, 
by diving, they procure food; and, at times, when 
the young are fatigued, and at some distance from 
the shore, she sinks her body in the water, and re- 
ceives them on her back, where they remain several 
minutes.” 
The Long- tailed Duck is another beautiful species, 
