Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-12-30
AZ EIpgR pucx -.
How Iceiana's chief Inaastry Is MAJ
a<ea ana aIaas Fraasable.

a<ea and Mads Probable.
In the recesses and holes and
cavities bstReen the humm0cks OF
Iceland the elder ducks NAY be seen
sitting on their nests. OF these
there are several scores, and the birds
themselves when sitting are perfectly
tame, some Of them even allowing q
stranger 70 stroke them with the
hand. They are not all hatehel al
The same time. and are SIN ii the
egg when others are hztched and
swimming about in the sea The
drake. as is so frequently the case
with the male bird. is q handsome.
shoEy creature. with much white in
his plumage. He is excessively shy
and wary. while the female. whose
plumags j. brown and glossy. Is. on
the contrary. tame and confdlng
The duck LAYS from five 10 six eggs
at thu beginning o. June, ana Il is
no unusual thing to fnd from ten 20
sixteen eggs in one nest. together
with two females, who sit either at in
teryals, or, II necessary. both at the
same time. and strange to say. seem
20 agree remas kably well with one
another. The period Of laying lasts
some six o. seven weeks. and the
birds are ia the habit Of laying three
times in different places. Prom the
first and second II these both the
down and eggs are taken away. but
from the last It Is very seldom that
the farmer removes either Should
he do 50 with any degree Of per-
sistency the birds would desert the
locality. and be is not such q focl as
to destroy the duck with the golden
eggs.
In some cases the owner resides
on or near the farm. In this par
ticular instance he visits the island
from the mainland once q week at
least So soon as he and his men
arrive at the nest they carefully re-
move the female and take away the
superluOus down and eggs. The
duck Immediately begins TO lay
afresh, and covers her eggs with
new down. which she plucks from
her own breast II the supply is in
adequate the male comes to her assist
ance and helps to cover the eggs
with his down This being white is
easily distinguished from the brown
( covering which the female supplies.
and is not so good in quality.
The nest is now, as a general rule.
LETT until the young ones are Matched.
There il not much callowuess anc
{ helplessness about these youngsters.
About an hour after they are out 81
the she'll they quit the nest together.
when it il once more plUnderel. This
down is divided into seaweed down
and grass down. The latte Is gener-
ally considered to be the best 10
quality. The down is very valuable
and fetches from "a to s. a pound.
The three first takes Of down vary
considerably in quality. the frs
being superior to the second AMI tn,
second to the third. The birds them
selves, apart from their down-givina
capacities. are Of little value The
down taken from dead elder ducks is
yalueiess. as It has lost all its ma-ve
lous elasticity.
An elder duck farmer is excessively
proud Of his ducks. and regards them
with intense and peculiar affection
says the Chicago Record. The ownc
Of the farm just desct ibed was in tbs
habit Of saying that he would rattle,
lose one Of his children than one o
his ducks. but to any one who hat
/ seen both, this statement would seen
to have had but little comparativ,
value.