210 
ANAS MOLLIS SIMA. 
they abandon the place altogether. One female, during j 
the whole time of laying, generally gives half a pound 
of down; and we are told, that in the year 1750, the 
Iceland Company sold as much of this article as amounted 
to three thousand seven hundred and forty-five banco 
dollars, besides what was directly sent to Gluckstadt. * 
The down from dead birds is little esteemed, having 
lost its elasticity. 
These birds associate together in flocks, generally in 
deep water, diving for shell fish, which constitute their 
principal food. They frequently retire to the rocky 
shores to rest, particularly on the appearance of an 
approaching storm. They are numerous on the coast 
of Labrador, and are occasionally seen in winter as far 
south as the capes of Delaware. Their flesh is esteemed 
by the inhabitants of Greenland, but tastes strongly of 
fish. 
The length of this species is two feet three inches, 
extent three feet ; weight between six and seven pounds ; 
the head is large, and the bill of singular structure, being 
three inches in length, forked in a remarkable manner, 
running high up in the forehead, between which the 
plumage descends nearly to the nostril ; the whole of 
the bill is of a dull yellowish horn colour, somewhat 
dusky in the middle ; upper part of the head, deep velvet 
black, divided laterally on the hindhead by a whitish 
band ; cheeks, white ; sides of the head pale pea green, 
marked with a narrow line of white dropt from the 
ear feathers ; the plumage of this part of the head to 
the throat, is tumid, and looks as if cut off at the end, 
for immediately below the neck it suddenly narrows, 
somewhat in the manner of the buffel-head, enlarging 
again greatly as it descends, and has a singular hollow 
between the shoulders behind ; the upper part of the 
neck, the back, scapulars, lesser wing-coverts, and sides 
of the rump, are pure white ; lower part of the breast, 
belly, and vent, black ; tail, primaries, and secondaries, 
brownish black ; the tertials curiously curved, falling 
' 
* Letters on Iceland , by Uno Van Tiioil, p. 146. 
