THE EIDER DUCK. 
843 
other Ducks, and are, indeed, on good terms with all 
other water-fowl. 
The food of the Eider Duck consists entirely of shell¬ 
fish, Crustacea, small fish, and fish-spawn: shell-fish 
are, however, under all circumstances, the great stand-by, 
the crop and stomach are always full of them, the hard 
shells supplying the place of the small stones or gravel 
which other members of the Duck family swallow to aid 
their digestion. The Eider Duck procures its nourish¬ 
ment by diving to the bottom of the sea, and the 
abundance of living creatures which have their habitat 
there afford these Ducks food enough, and to spare. 
These birds possess most interest in the eyes of man, 
and are of the greatest importance to him, during the 
breeding season. The pairs already begin to get together 
towards the end of March, and separate from the flock 
that remains. At this season of the year every fjiord in 
Norway, as well as the surf-bound coasts of Iceland and 
Greenland, are graced by the presence of these summer 
visitants. The male courts his “ladye-love” with his 
hollow, but not unmusical call of “ ahu, alma,” to which 
she replies by a less euphonious “gak, gak,” much 
after the fashion of other Ducks. In this way the 
different pairs pass the time round about the well-known 
breeding islands, principally in the neighbourhood of 
those wffere the coast is not too high, though affording 
sufficient shelter from storms from the seaward. Their 
numbers increase until the end of April, when they take 
to the land, where the female seeks an eligible spot for 
her nest. Man, who cares for sea birds just in proportion 
as they may be useful to him, sees, in the case of the 
Eider Duck, that all bushes and shrubs are carefully 
preserved, here and there arranging nesting-places, and 
