EIDER (Icel. a'pr, eider). An oceanic duck, having the hind toe furnished with a deep lobe, and the bill swollen and elevated at the base, and extending up the forehead, where it is di vided down the middle by an elongated projec tion of feathers. The tertials are elongated. and fall down over the wing. The genus is further characterized by the very abundant development of a fine elastic gray down, particularly on the breast, the valuable eiderdown of commerce.
Several species are known, grouped into three genera. The best known and most important is the common eider of Europe (8omateria mollissima), which is intermediate in size be tween a common duck and a goose. The male is larger than the female, and in the breeding sea son has the under parts black, the upper parts creamy white. The female is pale-brown, tinged with red, and varied with transverse marks of dark brown. Young males at first resemble the females, and do not acquire the full adult plum age and begin to mate and breed until their third year. The eider is an inhabitant of the northern parts of the world, abounding on arctic and subarctic shores, and breeding in suitable localities from Spitzbergen to the Faroe islands. off the northeast coast of Et-dand where it is known as the Saint Cuthbert duck: it is also numerous in southern Greenland; and the shores of Alaska and Siberia are inhabited by a very similar species Somateria r-nigra). All these descend to middle latitudes in winter. Two other distinctively American species of the genus exist. One is the American eider (Somateria Dresseri), which differs from the European bird (drake) mainly in having a black instead of an obscure green patch on the crown, and in the shape of the bill (see Plate of WILD in article : the other is the king eider (Soma teria spertabilis), has a v-shaped black mark on the throat. Both breed on the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the latter goes also to the extreme north, where it is widespread. Both are favorites with sports men when they come south in winter along the coast as far a. the Middle States and inland to the Great Lakes. Two other species are known, Steller's (Eniennetto Stellrril. which is
abundant on the Arctic shores of Europe, Asia, and Northwestern America, and the spectaeled eider 1.4 retonetto Fischrri), which seems to he confined to the northwest coast of America. The now extinct Labrador duck was nearly related to them.
EmEn-Dowx. The down from the breast of an eider, and taken from its nest, or from the body of a dead bird for commercial use. The eiders nestle upon coasts, seeking nooks and crannies in which to hide their treasures. As is the habit of many ducks, the mother begins, as soon as the eggs come. to pluck the easily re mm ed down from her breast with which to (•over them during her absences. thus both blanketing and concealing them. This down is mouse-gray and of the exquisitely soft texture which makes it so valuable. Formerly, as still in Greenland, which furnishes perhaps the larg est part of the down sent to market, the down was taken from the wild nests found on coasts. Gradually a certain measure of protection was introduced in some European countries. The next movement was to dig a great number of con venient little hollows or chambers in the soil and among the rocks of sea-fronting hills—aecommo dations which the ducks were quick to take ad vantage of. Many such eider-folds exist in Nor way and Iceland, and are regarded as property. The eggs and down are quietly taken from each nest at hitervals of a few days by the owners of the 'eider-fold,' until the limit of the bird's endurance has been reached. when she is permit ted to batch a few eggs, in order to maintain the race.
About half a pound of eider-down is said to be obtained annually from each nest, but this is much reduced by cleaning. Down taken from birds which have been killed is inferior in qual ity to that obtained from the nests. The latter is known in commerce as 'live' down, the former as 'dead' down. The elasticity of the down is such that three-quarters of an ounce of it will till a large hat. while two or three pounds of it may be pressed into a ball and held in the hand. Its use is most extensive in Germany for stuffing bed-coverings.