244 



HARD WICKE ' S S CIE NCR - G SSIP. 



approached, swimming, I thought, in rather a jerky 

 manner, taking advantage of the waves. When 

 within hail, I called to her, and going to the harbour 

 side of the breakwater, whistled and called. She 

 appeared to recognise my call, and came swimming up 

 the harbour alongside the breakwater as a dog might 

 do at the bid of his master. As I was walking along, 

 above her, I could plainly note her movements. 

 Paddling with her feet, she used her wings as a man 

 would his arms in swimming, driving the water 

 before her in foaming wavelets. She floated low in 

 the water, the head, neck and upper part of the back 



Fig. 167.— The Common Guillemot (Uria Troile). 



being alone visible. When half-way up the harbour, 

 she took it into her head to try and land on the 

 breakwater, but there was rather a surf, and the 

 timbers of the breakwater were steep and exceedingly 

 slippery ; taking advantage of an incoming wave, she 

 clung to a beam with her strong claws and beat hard 

 with her small wings to keep her position, but, before 

 she could get a purchase, another wave had come, 

 and lifting her off the beam, returned with a rush 

 bearing her down with it ; several times this occurred 

 alternately, she was washed up and dragged again 

 into the water ; at last a back flowing wave deposited 

 her between two great beams, her wings thrown back. 



Before she could settle herself a wave came over her, 

 and for some seconds she was feet deep in the water. 

 She seemed fairly caught, another and another wave 

 came, and as each retreated it seemed as if it must 

 break her wings. I began to fear she would be 

 drowned, or her wings broken, and thought to jump in 

 to her rescue, but just then she got free. Nothing 

 daunted, she again attempted to land, but at last 

 gave over and swam out into the middle of the 

 harbour. At the end of the breakwater, I got down 

 to a little shingly beach, and called and whistled and 

 held out my hand coaxing and encouraging my poor 

 Gillie. She came along right up to me and landed 

 at my feet. I petted her and stroked her, and letting 

 her go a bit up the beach she gave herself a good 

 shake as a dog might do. After this, what could I 

 do but carry her home again ? Sol carried her home 

 again ; she seemed quite tired, and appeared glad to 

 get back. She soon refreshed herself with some nice 

 raw liver, and I was pleased to hear her utter her 

 curious indescribable croak, resembling somewhat 

 that of a cormorant, but not so prolonged. ' 



The morning was gloomy, and there was an inshore 

 wind ; this may perhaps partly account for her speedy 

 return. I was myself pleased with the incident, and 

 thought this little narrative might be of sufficient 

 interest to deserve a place in a magazine devoted, as 

 its name implies, to Science-Gossip. 



I have called my bird a common guillemot ; 

 perhaps she better deserved the other title, for which 

 at all events there is an excuse. Foolish Guillemot ! 

 Why did you return to me ? Why am I now obliged 

 to add a mournful postscript ? I fear she was 

 injured by the cruel waves. But why come back to 

 me to die, poor bird ? I look at you in your case of 

 glass and half imagine that you still live. Your life 

 has not been useless, and you shall not be forgotten. 



Philip Kermode. 



Ramsey, Isle of Man. 



THE DIASTOPORID^ : OR THE NATURAL 

 HISTORY OF A FAMILY TYPE. 



By George Robert Vine. 



{Continued from J>age 147.] 



IN one of Mr. Waters's earlier papers,* he describes 

 and figures (sp. 38, figs. 13, 14) a very peculiar 

 type of Diastopora. The zoarium is disk-like, but 

 also, as being shaped like a cup, with a thick under- 

 surface which is marked with concentric lines, and 

 is composed of three or four layers of cells. The 

 cells are sunken or immersed, but free at the distal 

 part. This habit of colonial growth is not peculiar 

 to this species alone, for as we shall see, many of the 

 earlier Diastoporidse participate in the same habit. 



* Read before the members, and published in the " Transac- 

 tions of the Manchester Geological Society, 1878." 'Bryozoa,' 

 from the Pliocene of Braccoli, Sicily. 



