oroughly acquainted.

Lucien now took up the thread of the conversation, and gave some further
information about the different species of American ducks.

"One of the most celebrated," said he, "is the `eider-duck' (_Anas
mollissima_). This is prized for its down, which is exceedingly soft
and fine, and esteemed of great value for lining quilts and making beds
for the over-luxurious. It is said that three pounds' weight of `eider
down' can be compressed to the size of a man's fist, and yet is
afterwards so dilatable as to fill a quilt of five feet square. The
down is generally obtained without killing the bird, for that which is
plucked from dead birds is far inferior, and has lost much of its
elasticity. The mode of procuring it is to steal it from the nest, in
the absence of the birds. The female lines the nest with down plucked
from her own breast. When this is stolen from her, by those who gather
the commodity, she plucks out a second crop of it, and arranges it as
before. This being also removed, it is said that the male bird then
makes a sacrifice of his downy waistcoat, and the nest is once more put
in order; but should this too be taken, the birds forsake their nest
never to return to it again. The quantity of `eider down' found in a
single nest is sufficient to fill a man's hat, and yet it will weigh
only about three ounces.

"The eider-duck is about the size of the common mallard, or wild duck
proper. Its colour is black below, and buff-white on the back, neck,
and shoulders, while the forehead is bluish black. It is one of the
`sea-ducks,' or _fuligulae_, as the naturalists term them, and it is
rarely seen in fresh water. Its food is principally the soft mollusca
common in the Arctic seas, and its flesh is not esteemed except by the
Greenlanders. It is at home only in the higher latitudes of both
Continents, and loves to dwell upon the rocky shores of the sea; but in
very severe winters, it makes its appearance along the Atlantic coast of
the United States, where it receives different names from the gunners--
such as `black-and-white coot,' `big sea-duck,' `shoal-duck,' and
`squaw-duck;' and under these titles it is often sold in the markets of
American cities. Some suppose that the eider-duck could be easily
domesticated. If so, it would, no doubt, prove a profitable as well as
an interesting experiment; but I believe it has already been attempted
without success. It is in the countries of N