. The history of birds : their varieties and oddities, comprising graphic descriptions of nearly all known species of birds, with fishes and insects, the world over, and illustrating their varied habits, modes of life, and distinguishing peculiarities by means of delightful anecdotes and spirited engravings . f eiHer or eder-down. This the oldbirds pluck fromtheir breasts in thebreeding season, toline their nests:making with it a softbed for their young-ones. When thebird-catchers come tothe nest, they care-fully remove thefemale, and takeaway the superflu-ous down and eggs;after this they rep
. The history of birds : their varieties and oddities, comprising graphic descriptions of nearly all known species of birds, with fishes and insects, the world over, and illustrating their varied habits, modes of life, and distinguishing peculiarities by means of delightful anecdotes and spirited engravings . f eiHer or eder-down. This the oldbirds pluck fromtheir breasts in thebreeding season, toline their nests:making with it a softbed for their young-ones. When thebird-catchers come tothe nest, they care-fully remove thefemale, and takeaway the superflu-ous down and eggs;after this they replaceher. She then beginsto lay afresh, andcovers her eggs with new down, which she plucks from her she has no more left, the male comes to her assistance, and coversthe eggs with his down, which is white, and easily distinguished from«hat of the female. When the young-ones leave the nest, which iaabout an hour after they are hatched, it is once more plundered. The best down and the most eggs, are obtained during the firstthree weeks after the nest is formed ; and it has generally been observed, that the birds lay the greatest number of eggs in rainyweather. One female, during the time of laying, generally yieldshalf a pound of down ; which, however, is reduced one half after it ||^SWJ»V!*> EIDER DUCK. ZC>(J THE GCOSANDEK WILD DUCK. The eider-down, when pure, is oi such value that it is sold inLapland for two dollars a pound. It is extremely soft and warm,and so light and expansive, that a couple of handsful squeezed together,are sufficient to fill a down quilt;—a covering like a feather-bed, usedin cold countries instead of a common quilt or blanket. The Greeulanders kill these birds with darts; pursuing them intheir little boats, watching their course by the air-bubbles when theydive, and always striking at them when they rise THE GOOSANDER,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectzoology
