perfectly tame, though at other times the Eider is
exceedingly wary.
I find it stated in ‘ Yarrell ’ that in Iceland each nest
produces an average of one sixth of a pound of down,
which is worth from twelve to fifteen shillings per pound
on the spot, and about 1-| lb. is required to make a single
coverlet. The usual complement of eggs is five, and in
Iceland these eggs are mostly taken and pickled for
winter consumption, only a few being left to hatch. I
need hardly say that the Eider is essentially a sea-duck,
and feeds almost exclusively upon marine mollusca.
In captivity this species has often bred and the young
birds reared upon a diet of worms, shrimps, and meat;
but in the only instance in which I received a pair of
these birds alive, they were sent to me straight from the
islet upon which they were hatched, and having become
accustomed to their natural food, they declined everything
that we offered to them, and consequently pined
to death.
