14
:row•s•.•.,Conservation
ofthel•ider.
A PLEA FOR THE
BY CHARLES
CONSERVATION
WENDELL
OF THE
TOWNSEND,
[jAanuk
'
EIDER. •
M. D.
ThE treatment of that magnificentduck the Eider (Somateria
dresseri)along our At]antic coastis rapidly leadingto its extermination. This duckwhichis locallyknownas "SeaDuck," "Laying
Duck," "Shoreyer," "Eskimo Duck," "Moynak," and "Metic,"
is everywherediminishing
in numbers. In Maine they wereat one
time reducedto a few pairs,but, by enforcementof laws and by
reservationswatched over by wardens,they are beginningto
increase. I believe there are only two or three casesof their
breedingat the presenttime on the Nova Scotiacoast. On the
Newfoundlandcoast their numbersare pitifully few where once
they abounded. The coastof Labrador formerly swarmedwith
these birds, and the islandswere thickly coveredwith their nests.
All the ornithologists
from the time of Audubonto the presentday
who have visited this coast have bewailed the fact that the Eider
was signaledout for destruction.
In 1906Dr. G. M. Allen and I sawonly aboutseventyof these
birds on the long stretchof the easterncoastof Labradorbetween
Battle Harbor and Hamilton Inlet. This is a region that is
visited by a large numberof Newfoundlandfishermenin summer,
and its coastis dotted with the fishinghamletsof the residentsor
liveyeresasthey arecalled. The menknoweverynookandcranny
of the coast,shootthe birdsin greatnumbersin bothfall andspring
migrations,take their eggsand downwheneverthey find themand
even shootthe settingfemales. In visiting their fishingtraps in
the heightof the breedingseasonthey often take their gunsalong
with them so that few birdsescape. North of Hamilton Inlet the
Northern Eider (Somateriamollissimaborealls)is persecuted
by the
Esqulmauxof the Moravianvillagesaswell as by the fishermen.
t•. The same condition of affairs exist on the southern coast where
Eiders are persecutednot only b•r the white fishermenbut alsoby
the Montagnais Indians, who, after disposingof their furs, the
• Read at the meeting
1913.
of the American
Ornithologists'
Union,
November
11,
Vol. XXXI]
1914 J
TOWNSEND,
Conservation
oftheEider.
15
result of their winter'swork, cruisealongthe coastin sail-boatand
canoeand feaston the Eider eggsand flesh.
In 1909 Mr. A. C. Bent and I found the groundabout the Indians'encampments
coveredwith Eider eggshells,andwesawEider
fleshbeingdried and smokedby the fires. Two men, who were
rangingover the islandswith pailshad collecteda hundredeggs
in less than an hour's time.
William
Brewster
described
the
methodusedby theseIndians in 1881,--"They skirt the shores
in canoes,
keepingaseloseto land asthe depthof waterwill permit.
Meanwhiletheir dogsscentabout amongthe treesquarteringthe
groundllke trainedsetters,andwhena nestis discovered
announce
the fact by loudbarking. The nestsare usuallywithin a few rods
of the water, and the scentof the dogsis sokeenthat they rarely
passone. If the sittingbird canbe caughtor shotthe opportunity
is seldomneglected,for the half starvedIndian neitherknowsnor
respectsconsiderations
of mercy, or, perhaps we should call it
poliey,--whieh restrain more enlightened sportsmenon such
occasions.Proceedingthus two men in a canoewill frequently
ransacktwenty miles of coast-linein a singleday and find, probably, nearly every eider nest. The result of this systematicpersecution cannotbe doubtfulor longdelayed."
Mr. Abbott Frazer, who wasin SouthernLabrador in 1884saidof
this bird, "They are persecuted
with relentlessenergyby both man
and beastfrom the time they arrive up to the time they leave, and
the countlesshoardsthat onceinhabited this coastare fast disappearing,and it will not be longbeforethe Eider of SouthernLabrador, like the Eider of Grand Manan will be but a memoryof the
past."
It is naturalthat thefishermen
andIndiansshould
act thus,
for Eider eggsaredelieiouseatingandthe fleshof the birds,at least
of the femaleand young,is equallypalatable. Both are generous
in the amount of nourishmentfurnished. But thesepeople are
killing the goosethat lays the goldenegg,and the time is not far
.distant,where suchmethodsprevail, before the Eider will be no
more.
There is no reasonwhy the Eider, which furnishesthe valuable
Eider-downof commerce,shouldnot be made a sourceof considerable income, without any reduction of its natural abundance.
16
TOWNSEND,
Conservation
oftheEider.
Auk
[Jan.
The principleof conservation
canaswell beappliedto the Eider as
to a forest. The conservationof the CommonEider of Europe
(Somaterla
mollissima),
a species
that differsbut veryslightlyfrom
the Americanbird, hasbeenpracticedfor manyyearsin Icelandand
Norway. The birdsare rigidlyprotectedduringthe nestingseason
and offered every encouragement. They are not allowed to be
shot,and eventhe discharge
of a gun in their vicinity is forbidden
by law. Suitable nestingsitesare furnishedcloseto the houses
and the birds becomesemi-domesticated,
losingall fear of man.
The peopleare allowedto take the eggsand downduringthe first
of the season,but the birdsare permitted to hatch out and rear
a few youngin order to keepup the stock. The last downis taken
after the birds have left.
The followingquotationsfrom variousauthorsshowwhat can be
done in the conservationof the Eider and what a profitableand
pleasantbusiness
it maybemade: "-- A person,"saysHorrebow,
•
"as I myself have witnessed,may walk amongthesebirds while
they are sitting, and not scarethem; he may even take the eggs
and yet they will renew their laying as often as three times."
Accordingto the relation of Sir George Mackenzie,2 "On the
8th of June at Vidte, the Eider Ducks, at all other times of the
year perfectly wild, had now assembledin great numbersto
nestle. The boat, by which they approachedthe shore,passed
through multitudes of these beautiful fowls, which scarcely
gave themselvesthe trouble to go out of the way. Between
the landing place and the Governor's house, the ground was
strewnwith them,and it requiredsomecautionto avoidtreading
on the nests. The Drakes were walking about utteringa sound
very like thecooingof Doves,andwereevenmorefamiliarthan the
common Domestic Ducks. All round the house, on the garden
wall, on the roof,evenin the insideof the house,and in the chapel,
were numbersof duckssitting on their nests. Such as had not
beenlong on the nest generallyleft it on beingapproached;but
thosethat had morethan oneor two eggssat perfectlyquiet, suffering us to touchthem and sometimes
makinga gentleuseof their
bills to remove our hands."
Quoted by l•uttall.
Travels in Iceland, p. 126.
(Quoted by Nuttall.)
VoL XXXI]
1914 I
Tow•s•,m),
Conservation
oftheEider.
17
Baird, Brewer and Ridgway quote from C. W. Shepard,as follows: "The islandsof Vigr and Oldey are their headquartersin the
northwestof Iceland. In thesethey live in undisturbedtranquillity. They have becomealmostdomesticated,and are found in
vast multitudes,as their youngremain and breedin the place of
their birth. As the island (Vigr) was approached,we could see
flocksupon flocksof the sacredbirds,and couldhear them cooing
at a great distance. We landedon a rocky, wave-wornshore. It
was the most wonderful ornithologicalsight conceivable. The
Ducks and their nests were everywhere. Great, brown Ducks
sat upontheir nestsin masses,
and at everystepstartedfrom under
our feet. It waswith difficultythat we avoidedtreadingon some
of the nests. On the coastof the oppositeshorewasa wall built of
large stones,just above the high-waterlevel, about three feet
in height, and of considerablethickness. At the bottom, on
both sidesof it, alternate stoneshad been left out, so as to form a
seriesof squarecompartmentsfor the Ducks to nest in. Almost
everycompart•nentwasoccupied,andas wewalkedalongthe shore,
a longline of Ducks flew out, oneafter the other. The surfaceof
the water alsowasperfectlywhite with drakes,whowelcomedtheir
brown wives with loud and clamorouscooing. The houseitself
was a marvel.
The
earthen
walls that
surrounded
it and the
windowembrasureswere occupiedby Ducks. On the groundthe
housewas fringedwith Ducks. On the turf slopesof its roof we
couldseeDucks,and a Duck sat on the door-scraper. The grassy
banks had been cut into square patches, about eighteen inches
havingbeenremoved,and eachhollowhad beenfilledwith Ducks.
A windmill was infested, and so were all the outhouses,mounds,
rocks,and crevices. The Ducks were everywhere. Many were so
tame that we couldstrokethem on their nests,and the goodlady
told us that therewas scarcelya Duck on the islandthat would not
allowher to take its eggswithout flight or fear. Our hostesstold us
that whenshefirst becamepossessor
of the island the produceof
downfromthe Duckswasnot morethan fifteenpoundsin a year,
but that under her careful nuture of twenty years, it had risen to
nearlya hundredpoundsannually. Most of the eggswere taken
and pickledfor winter consumption,
oneor two only beingleft in
each nest to hatch."
18
Tow•s•.m),
Conservation
oftheEider.
Auk
[Jan.
Burton writing in 1875• saysthat not even a salutewas permitted to be fired at Reykjavikfor fearof frighteningthe Eider
whichwas therea "barn doorbird" and as "tame as horse-pond
geese." I-Ie says "the turf is shavenand hollowedto make the
nests-- and the placesare markedby pegs."
Slater2 saysof the CommonEider that it is "residentin large
numbers;especiallyabundantround the roast,strictly preserved
by law, and in consequence
very tame. In Akureyri,for instance,
the old duckswith their ducklings
feedalongthe edgeof the fjord
quite dose to the housesand road, and take no more noticeof the
passers-by
than domesticduckswoulddo -- whichis very pretty.
In winter they park in immenseflocks. The Eider down is, of
course,the propertyof the owner of the land, and every inducement and protectionis givento the birds,as the downis a valuable
articleof trade." BernhardI-Iantzseh
a says: "In consequence
of
the specialprotection,whichman everywhereexercises
overthem,
their numbersseemslowlyto increase."
NelsonAnnandale
4 says:"The oneoffenceagainstthe Icelandic
bird laws which a native cannotcommitwith impunity is the
slaughterof the eider-duck.--What is moreimportantthan many
laws,namelypublicopinion,protectsthe species,and there seems
to be a sentimental
interestin it.--Probably it is dueto the great
tameness
of the bird, which appearsactuallyto seekthe vicinity
of a human dwellingfor its nestingplaceand to frequentthose
parts of the roast which are more frequented by man.--The
Icelandic eider-farmsare frequentlysituated on little islandsoff
the roast. Small circularor oblongerectionsof roughstonesare
madeamongthe hummocks,to protectthe broodingducksfrom
wind and driving rain.--All the seafowlin thesefarms become
exceedingly
tame, as no gunis allowedto be firedand everything
liable to disturb the ducks is carefully banished. Those who
know how to handle them ran even stroke the barks of the ducks
as they sit on their eggs.--On suchfarms there is a separate
building or large room entirely devotedto cleaningthe down.
Ultima
Thule
or a s•mrner
ixl Iceland.
aM•uual of the Birds of Iceland, 1901.
Beltrag zur Kenntnis der Vogelwelt Islands, 1905.
The F•roes
and Icela•xd, 1906.
Vol. XXXI]
1014 J
TOWNSEND,
Conservation
of theEider.
19
The apparatusconsists
of a seriesof oblongwoodenframes,which
may be either fixed in a horizontalpositionor held in the hand.
Their numberand sizevariesgreatly, but in all easesthe principle
is the same,dependingon the tenacitywith which the downelirigs
to anything on which it is thrown, partly becauseof its lightness
and partly becauseof the structureof the individualfeatherswhich
compose
it. Alongthe framesare stretchedrather loosely,a number of stringswhichmay be either of twine or of thongsof leather.
The downis eastonto thesenear oneend,and a spatulaof woodor
bone drawn briskly backwardsand forwardsover the other end.
The downstill clingsto the strings,but all impurities,suchaspieces
of seaweedor grass,smallstones,or coarsefeathem,fall throughto
the ground."
Newton• says: "Generally the eggs and down are taken at
intervalsof a few days by the ownersof the 'Eider-fold,' and the
birdsare thus kept depositingboth during the wholeseason;but
someexperienceis neededto insure the greatestprofit from each
commodity. Every Duck is allowed to hatch an egg or two to
keepup the stock,and the downof the last nestis gatheredafter
the birdshave left the spot. The story of the Drake's furnishing
down,after the Duck's supplyis exhausted,is a fiction. He never
goesnear the nest." Annandale(loc.clt.) says: "It wasformally
the customto take away all the downsuppliedby the female;but
this practicewas said to lead to great mortality amongthe ducks
throughexhaustionand nowadayseachnestis generallyrifled only
once beforethe eggsare hatched,and then againafter the young
have left it."
The sameconservation
of the Eider existsin Norway. Stejneger2
says: "All alongthe coastof Norway, wherethe bird is protected
by law throughoutthe year, the commoneider(Somateria
mollissima),isnowexceedingly
commonand very tame. The inhabitants
take great careof the breedingbirds,which oftenentertheir houses
to find suitablenesting-places,
and casesare authenticatedin which
the poor fishermanvacated his bed in order not to disturb the
female eider, which had selectedit as a quiet cornerwherein to.
raiseher young. In anotherplace the cookingof a family had to
Dictionary of Birds, 1893-1896.
Riverside Natural ]Ilstory.
20
TOWnSenD,
Conservation
oftheEider.
Auk
[Jan.
be done in a temporarykitchen as a fanciful bird had taken up
her abodeon the fireplace."
V•'henSt. Cuthbert, that holy man, went to live a lonelylife on
Fame Islandhe tamedthe Eidersand they are calledSt. Cuthbert's
ducks even to this day.
Eider-down is not only extremely light and elastic but is also
oneof the poorestconductors
of heat. It is thereforean ideal substancefor preservingwarmth and is the bestmaterialfor coverlets,
puffs,cushionsetc. Its moneyvalue is considerable
and there is
always a demandfor it in the markets of the world.1 The retail
pricein Bostonat the presenttime of well cleanedIcelandor Norwegianeider-downis $14 a pound. It is probablethat eachnest
furnishes--as a very conservativeestimate- from an ounce to
an ounce and a third of down, therefore twelve to sixteen nests or
breedingfemalesare neededfor eachpound. Burton statesthat
the annual supply of down in Iceland rose from 2,000 poundsin
1806to 7,000poundsin 1870. One caneasilyunderstandthe great
valueof thisproductevenif the producerreceivesonlyonehalf of
the retail price. He couldcounton at leastfifty centsa seasonfor
eachbreedingfemale in his Eider-fold.
Imagine the pleasureas well as profit that could be obtained
along the coast of Labrador, Newfoundland,Nova Scotia and
Maine if these birds were treated in the manner above described and
flocked and nested about the habitations of man. Then, each
dwellerin suitablelocalitiesby the sea,couldhave his own flock
of these beautiful birds, for the female is as beautiful in her modest
dressof shadedand pencilledbrownas is the male in his striking
raiment of jet black and cream-and snow-white,delicatesea-green
and dark navy-blue. The cooingnotes, so long few or absent in
manyplaces,wouldagainresoundoverthe waters,and bestof all,
to the practicalminded,the birdswouldpay well for their protection by gifts of eggsand of valuableeider-down.'
How can the presentsenseless
habit of destructionbe stopped
and this desirablestateof affairsbroughtabout? As a preliminary
stepin Labradorand Newfoundland
I wouldsuggestthat a few
islandsscatteredalongthe coastshouldbe made bird reservations,
• The down obtained from dead Elders, however, soon loses its elasticity and is
of little
value.
Vol. XXXI]
1914 ]
TOWNSEND,
Conservation
oftheEider.
21
andcarefully
guarded
b'yoneortwofamilies
wholiveonornear
the islands. These peopleshouldbe allowedto take the first set
of eggsand down,as well as the downleft behindafter the duck
has hatched out the second set and has left for the season, but
shouldnot be allowedthe useof fire arms,and their Eskimodogs
mustbe confinedduringthe nestingseason. In otherwordsthese
peoplemust not frighten the birds and must treat them kindly.
The object of the experimentshouldbe spreadbroadcastalongthe
coastwith the requestfor fair play, so as to restrain others from
poachingand frighteningthe duckson the reservation.
The rapidity with whichthe birdswill respondto this treatment
and the intelligencethey will displayin the recognitionof the safety
spotswill surprisethe people. This is the casewhereverbird reservations are established. At Ipswich, Massachusetts,the shores
of a small,protectedpond are throngedwith shorebirds of many
species
whichdisplay
almostnofearofman,whileontheneighboring beaches,
wherethey are shot,they are very wary. In the city
of Boston the Charles River
Basin and Jamaica Pond are the
resortof numerousducksthat pay but little attention to the people, while in the sea and pondsnearby, where shootingis allowed,
the ducks show their usual wildness.
It is uselessto passlaws if they are not observedor if the sentiment of the communityis againstthem. This reform, which will
be of suchgreatvalueto our northernsea-coast,
canonlybe accomplishedby education,and thesebird reservationswith their Eiderfarmswill be oneof the best meansto that end. It is for this purposethat I have written this and have quotedthe convincingexperiencesof the nativesof Iceland and Norway; and I hope that
throughthe Moraviansand Dr. Grenfelland the Catholicand other
missionariesof Labrador, and the factors of the Hudson'sBay
Company'sPosts, and the independentfur-traders,and through
the pressof Newfoundlandand Nova Scotia,andespeciallythrough
the Governor General of Newfoundland
and the Lieutenant
Gov-
ernor of Quebec,to all of whom I intend to send this little tract,
the peoplewill understandthe great need and value of the conservation of the Eider.