EIDER DUCK. 
415 
bleak winds and rough weather by which these exposed 
spots are visited. Holy Island, or St. Cuthbert’s Isle as 
it is sometimes called, upon which stands the beautiful old 
Abbey of Lindisfarne, where dwelt in days of yore the 
good St. Cuthbert, is one of this group. The Eider Duck 
seems to prefer the security of an island for its retreat 
during the breeding-season; I have, however, found seve¬ 
ral of their nests upon the Links,—the sandy banks which 
bound the sea-beach,—when in search of the holes in which 
the sliieldrake breeds. The Eider Duck was one of the 
commonest birds which we saw upon the Norwegian seas; 
we met with some of them upon many of the islands which 
we traversed, and might have collected a considerable 
quantity of the down. On one island, which was strictly 
preserved, they were in great numbers; and hundreds of 
male birds, beautiful in their pure black and white plu¬ 
mage, which were listlessly floating over a wide expanse 
of sea, added an indescribable interest to this otherwise 
desert scene. An old man who had the care of this island, 
and seemed to derive much pleasure from the charge, ac¬ 
companied us all over his preserves, pointing out to us the 
ducks as they sat around us, apparently heedless of our 
near approach, and on quite familiar terms with our com¬ 
panion, who would even stroke them on the back, and was 
very jealous lest we should fire our guns and thus scare his 
pets. The Eider Duck breeds in such quantities in Ice¬ 
land, that their down is made an article of commerce. 
Sir William Hooker, in his travels in that country, says, 
“ Their nests were generally among the old and half- 
decayed sea-weed that the storms had cast high upon the 
beach, but sometimes only upon the bare rocks. It was 
difficult to make these birds leave their nests, and so little 
inclined were some of them to do it, that they even per¬ 
mitted us to handle them whilst they were sitting, with- 
