390 Birds. 
and Scotland, becomes more numerous as we go further 
north, and is most abundant on Iceland and the Arctic 
shores, both of Europe and America. This bird is par- 
ticularly valuable for the great quantity of down which 
it furnishes, as this is so light and elastic that beds and 
quilts made from it are preferable to any others. The 
birds line their nests with this beautiful material plucked 
from their own bodies, and it is chiefly by plundering 
the nests that the down is obtained. Each nest will 
furnish about half a pound of down in the season, and it 
is worth about four dollars a pound. 
THE WIDGEON, (Mar eca Penelope,) 
Weighs about twenty-two ounces, and feeds upon grass 
and roots growing at the bottom of lakes, rivers, and 
ponds. The plumage of this bird is much variegated, 
and its flesh esteemed a great delicacy, though not so 
highly praised as that of the teal. The bill of the 
Widgeon is black ; the head and upper part of the neck 
of a bright bay ; the back and sides under the wing 
waved with black and white ; the breast purple ; the 
lower part of the body white, and the legs are dusky. 
The young of both sexes are grey, and continue in this 
plain garb till the month of February ; after which a 
change takes place, and the plumage of the male begins 
to assume its rich colourings, in which, it is said, he 
continues till the end of July; and then again the 
