66
Aftonilhing
Number.
Various kinds
• f Ducks.
NATUR A L HI STORY o f N 0 R W A T .
cliffy whither thofe hold- and venturefome bird-catchers prfue
them, and find 50* &o, or 100 pair, fitting interchangeably
Upon one mothers eggs. Thefe referable hens eggs, and if they
do not grow cold, at the expiration of 14 days the young are
hatched, and in 14. days more they are fit to go to the fea with
the old ones. Their number is fo great, that L. Defies, in bis
Defcription ofFaro®, p. 153, fays they hide the fun like a cloud,
■ when they fly out from the rocks, and the noife of their wings
makes a roaring hi the air like a-floral. It is faid in the feme
place, that they have annually hut one young one ; fiat my
obfervets inform me that they find two-eggs in the neft, and
that is little enough, in regard to the great number that is
annually catehed and {hot; fo that our Creator's oeconomy is alfo
here aftonilhing. The Aik is counted the greateft herring-
fifher, and they will dive, according- to ' Strandfidfdere’s
atteftations, zo fathoms deep under the water they have fbme-
times the misfortune to miftaket and bite hold of -a fifh-hook,- and
lb are drawn up from that depth as fifh.
And we have here, befide the well-known common tame
ones, various forts of Wild Ducks, and thefe again am; divided
in certain fpecies ; fome keep in frefh water, and dou& -care
to go to the fea, excepting in neeeflity. Some have fharp-
pointed bills, which differ again in colour, being' black and
brown j of which the laft are fomewhat fmaller, and are often
tufted. Both forts lay many eggs, more than, any other Birds,
namely, zo or 2 5; and when the young ones are hatched, then
the Drake flies away; and i f by any accident, they became
motherlefs too, it has been obferved, that others of the feme
kind hate taken care of the poor forlorn young o i k s , as if they
were their own ; a good lelfon fear us human creatures.
One of the broad-bill’d Wild Ducks is called Huiin or
Quiin-iEnder, becaufe it whines or fqoeaks in the air, when it
takes flight. The Drake is black and white, with a tuft and a
white ring about his eyes upon the black ; for which reafon they
are alfo called Ringoyer, and (he is brown or greyifh; thefe live
moftly upon fnails, mufdes, and the like; thefe are not feen
longer than the Spring. Some are called Mort-iEnder or Fisk-
ffinder, becaufe they live by ducking for fmall fifh. Their
fhape is like the former, excepting that the Drake is mors
ftreaked on the back part of his neck; and there is a feather
(landing out about a finger’s length: they lay 12 or 18 eggs:
There are alfo fome called Krsek-JEnder, becaufe they feek for a
fort of berries called Krsekkc-bser; or, according to the opinion
N A T V S g g L H I S T O R Y. of N O B W A T. 67
of .others*, becaufe they always making a noife, which founds
like the word Krasjj^l they are fo«neth^g|.r0naU#r;-$ban' the former;
?ni,fepfeur fir-own,, and they don’t*go. into fait ^waters; there are alfo
others which are called Rod-NakJ$&t, which differ on||jjb,y -a
reddifh colour round the s^c|c. The fo called Stock’AInder, stock ma#,
by isifother name Hayr®kr;r the Duck, which, according to the
common opinion, grows on trees, are almoft like the Tame Ducks.
The Dral$ris grey, and white,tuftpd, with a particular
feather on the back of his bead, about fix incheshyleagtfu The
Duck-is lighter, gjyey^andi whi|^,. with a ring round her neck, a
red billy and longifh red legs, and lays annually r % or 16 eggs :
the male and fomaie» fit 'alternately ,y they hatch them in four
weeks.- The third day after the {bell is quiteopened, they are |
taken by the, ofd, ,ones tq„ the; - waters, and from that time the
Drake (buns them, as-ifi they were ffrangeones. Thefe fort, or
the Wild ®adf ti; are found on the coaft in great quantities;
and this circumftancej, amongft others, has occafioned thofe
who have nofc been better informed of and origin,
trees, and . have their fource pfGfow on
the conchse anatiferge,. or A ngle-Taskef,, o f which I have treated fee?‘
in 'tne former chapter, and have claffed them with the infefls.
Should -anyy;neyerthelefs, b^ .in,doubt of this th"mg,I’it-‘ist to be
found, .fu% .examined and determined, --in; Gafpari Schotti Phy-
fiea Guricdfa, L fc ix. cap. xxii, p. p6c^v8^fequ.-where this learned
jefmt, in a full and particular diflertation, diverts this fable of all
appearance of truth* Ifball only quote the cqnelufton, p. 976,
as follows:
Ajo L Aves Britamricas non oriri ex arborum fruflibus aut foliis,
suit ex lignis navium in mare decidentibus atque in fungos aut
conchulas degenerantibus, Fundamentum habeo, quod nec ratio,
nec qspeiimesntum, nec aufloritas id perfuadet. -Concedo equidem
ex lignis putrefeentibus'in mari nafobterme^, non circa Scotiam
tantum, fed alibi etiam: hanc enim nnam ob caufam portus Mefo
fanenfis in Sicilia, qub omnium .totQ orbe pulcherrimus ac fecu-
riffimus alioquin foret, cedit aliis, quod, naves diutius in eo hseren-
tesA veraaibqs ibidem natis exedantorj Concede etiam in con-
chulis fupradiflis reperiri vermes avifoxmes,, qui paulatim crefcant
8c avolent, cum id tarn multi 8t oculati tefies alleraut.- Nego
tamen aves Britannicas, de quibus hie fermo eft, inde habere ortum
fuum ; quoniam nullus fopra citatorum Scriptorum id v-idit, nec
ullius alterius oculati teftis atteftatio adeft, fed omnes meris con-
jefluris agunt, vulgi opinione, addufli, ut ex verbis ipforum con.
fiat. Nullum enim experimentum hafleaus docuit, animalcula
exigua