Pacific Eider Nesting at Glacier Bay, Alaska
Pacific Eider Nesting at Glacier Hay, Alaska.-On June 30, 1941, while on an archaeological reconnairsance trip to Alaska for the University of New Mexico, my husband, Dr. Frank C. Hfbben, and I landed on North Marble Island at the entrance to Muir Inlet in Glacier Bay. This rocky island is the nesting place for many sea birds, and we landed to take colored moving pictures. Nesting there were both kinds of puftins, Glaucous-winged Gulls, and Pigeon Guillemots. Twice we noticed three male Pacific Eider Ducks (Somaterfa mollissima v-aigru) fly past, and took one short shot of them as they flew, feeling that this might be an unusual place to find them. Later we flushed a female eider duck from her nest, photographed her as she walked to the edge of the water and slipped in, swimming near us, and not attempting to tiy. Lifting up the branches of the alder from under which she had appeared, we found a nest and six eggs, one egg still wet as if it had just been laid. We took pictures of this also, being careful not to touch the nest or egg.
The A.O.U. Check-list for 1931 (p. 56) states that the Pacific Eider breeds south and east to Cook Inlet. However, Bailey (Auk, 44,192s: 189) reports this species at Glacier Bay in summer. Heretofore there has been no actual breeding record from this region.-Mrs. FRANK C. HIBBEN, Ahquerque, New Mexico, Februury 14,1942.
