THE GAIT OF BIRDS. 103 



All the Duck tribe are almost incapable of running; some indeed, such 

 as the longer-legged ones, waddle along with considerable dispatch; but this 

 movement is so ungraceful and forced, as hardly to deserve the name. 

 There are some of these, such as the Coot or Grebe genus, which have 

 the legs placed so far behind, as to be almost purely aquatic, which hardly 

 walk at all from mere inability to escape if caught upon a plain. These 

 have not their feet entirely webbed, but palmated, that is, with circular 

 flaps of skin attached to the sides of their toes, and little or no hind toe; 

 this is however the case with the Stone Curlew and Peewit. There is 

 also a sort of link between the Duck tribe and the waders, which have the 

 webbed foot of the former, but the long leg and the same form in body 

 as the latter; thus the Dotterels and the Turnstones are web-footed but 

 active bird3, and connect both characters. The water-birds contain some 

 perchers, for all the aquatic Falcons and Eagles are of course endowed 

 with powerful talons; the Crane and Stork are also water-birds, and the 

 Heron tribe are always classed among them: these two orders are very 

 powerful runners, being of a high lean figure, with very long legs. 



There is a very large family of marine birds which are included under 

 the name of Gulls; these are almost as numerous as the Snipe genus, and 

 are as distinctly marked in their appearance; all these are light birds, and 

 run tolerably well, as do those which bear a modified resemblance to them, 

 as the Avocet, the Spoonbill, the Olive or Oyster-catcher, the Terns, and 

 the Petrels. 



Now the Divers I consider as possessing much more alertness than the 

 Duck tribe in general; they are of a sharper shape, and formed entirely 

 for aquatic evolutions, cutting a very poor figure on shore. The feet of 

 these birds are most beautifully adapted for expedition in the water, being 

 so constructed as to present the largest possible surface to the water in 

 the stroke, and the least in drawing it back to take another: this arrange- 

 ment of folding up I shall probably descant upon more particularly here- 

 after. The Gannet is a bird which very much resembles the Divers, but 

 he is a very much better walker, although he cannot run. The Cormo- 

 rants and Darters are still further removed from the Duck tribe in ap- 

 pearance, and yet still retain the webbed foot and plumage capable of 

 resisting the water: these are all indifferent walkers. The Darters are, I 

 suppose, the most expert swimmers and divers of all birds. 



The climbing birds have some analogous species, which, although they 

 cannot run or make any dispatch on the bodies of trees, yet have a habit 

 of clinging to the smaller twigs or branches whilst feeding; these are all 

 perchers, and include the Titmice and the Aberdevine. The Crossbills also 

 use their bills in aid of their feet, in holding their food; in this they 

 resemble the Parrots, as in many other particulars. It is a curious fact 



