Page 98

( 98 I)
The Great BL A C K and WHITE D UC K.
"Fr H I S Bird is one of the largefi of the Duck Kind; the Bill is represented
of its natural
T Bignefs in the lower Part of the Print. I take it to be the Eider or fofl-feather'd
Duck of
JIorinius, and the St. Cuthbert Duck of the Farn Iflands, both colleated
by Willoughby, and in-
ferttd in his Ornithology, P. 362.
The Male Bird, represented flanding, hath the Bill not fb much compreffed
as is common
in Ducks, it is of a blackifh Colour, and indented on the Edges of both upper
and lower Mandi-
bles where they meet, except at the Point; the Tip of the upper Mandible
overhangs the lower
a little; the Bafis of the Bill enters the Forehead on each Side with two
remarkable fharp An-
gles, and the Feathers on each Side of the Head extend themselves in acute
Angles into the Bill
juft beneath the Nofirils, as the Figures more fully exprefs: There paffes
from the Forehead to
the hind Part of the Head two broad Bars of Black, in which Spaces the Eyes
are placed;
there is a white Space on the Top of the Head, dividing the black Marks,
almoff to tile Bill;
the Remainder of the Head, all the Neck, Back, and lefter covert Feathers
of the Wings, are
White. On the hind Part of the Neck, juft below the Ends of the black Marks,
the Fea-
thers are of a light Green-colour, foftened into the White, and appear more
like an accidental
Stain, than any natural Mark; and I fhould have taken it for fiuch, had not
different Subjedls
confirmed it natural: All the Quills are Black or Dusky, except three or
four of the innermoft
next the Back, which are White; the firft Row of covert Feathers next above
the Quills are al-
fo Dufky ; the inner Coverts of the Wings are White; the Tail is of a dirty
Black-colour;
the Belly, Sides under the Wings, and covert Feathers both above and beneath
the Tail, are
of a deep Black-colour; on the Breaft the Black and White do nor break of
fuddenly, but are
intermixed a little into each other: The Legs and Feet are of a very dirty
Brown or Blackifh
Colour, having four Toes ftanding after the ufual Manner, and webb'd as in
the common Duck;
the two inner and the two hind Toes have lateral Fins or Webs, as is common
to this Genus ;
the Claws are Black.
The Female, reprefented by the diflant Flying Bird in this Plate, in Shape,
Size, Cclour
of the Bill, and Feet, agrees exaftly with the Male; but the Plumage is quite
different, it being
all over of a Brown-colour, mixed with tranfverfe Lines of Black, except
the Tail and greater
Wing Feathers, which were of a Dflky-colour. Thefe Birds hatch their Young
on the Coaft
of Norway in the Month of Yuze; this I difcovered by buying of a Fifhierman
in Norway at the
latter End of May, 1718, a Hen of this Kind, which I gave to a Perfon to
prepare for roaft-
ing, who brought me out of her an Egg fully formed, larger than a Duck Egg,
and of a green->
er Colour than is common in tame Duck's Eggs.
Thefe Birds were brought preserved dry from Greenland, and are depofited
at Sir Hans Sloane's
at Cbelfea. I believe they are found on all the Coafts and Iflands of the
Northern Seas. I
find this Bird mentioned in the Hiftory of the Iflands of Farro tranflated
from the Danijh Lan-
guage; which Tra& being fcarce, I Sball transcribe therefrom what relates
to this Bird, that its
Hiftory may be more full. " The Eider Cock is Brown as the Hen when
he is young, but
" when he is old he groweth almoft White, and is called Eider-Blink:
From this Fowl is ga-
" thered Eider Down, which the Eider plucks off from its Breaft, and
layeth in its Neft about
the Eggs, when it hatcheth them, and when they are come out, and are fled
away with
their Dam, this Down is taken up from the Neft, being then full of Mofs and
Straw, of
"which it is cleanfed, and dried. The Down which is plucked off at other
Times from the
Eider is good for nothing, for it is fat, and rotteth."
As I find much wanting in former Deferiptions of thefe Birds to make them
perfeat, and no
Figures to enlighten them, I hope this Labour will not be flighted by the
Inquifitive and Cu-
rious. I take it to be a Sea Duck, frequenting only Salt-Waters.