ON THE POWER THAT CERTAIN 



WATER-BIRDS POSSESS, OF REMAINING PARTIALLY 



SUBMERGED IN DEEP WATER. 



BY BEVERLEY R. MORRIS, M. D. 



In watching the habits of some of our water-birds, I have often been greatly 

 struck by the remarkable power many of them possess of keeping the body 

 submerged for some time after they have allowed the head and neck to appear, 

 on coming to the surface after a compulsory dive. As far as my own obser- 

 vations go, they do not make use of this precautionary measure when entirely 

 undisturbed, and ignorant of being watched: on such occasions I think they 

 always come up completely at once, and without any but the necessary interval 

 between the emergence of the head, and the upper part of the body. After 

 having noticed this curious and self-preservative power once, it was impossible 

 that I should not speculate as to the mode in which the bird accomplished this 

 singular but most useful manoeuvre. 



In sea birds, such as the Cormorant, the larger divers, and the Guillemot, 

 I have often seen them, when emerging from a dive caused by fear, project 



the head and neck first out of the 

 water, the bo,dy remaining completely 

 out of sight J the bird then looks 

 round to see if any danger is near; 

 if it is not satisfied with the appear- 

 ance of things, it is under water in 

 an instant, and probably does not 

 again come up till at a considerable 

 distance; should, however, all be 

 secure, after a few seconds, it allows 

 the usual portion of the body to 

 appear; and this is evidently dependent on the will of the bird. On other 

 occasions when not much alarmed, instead of again diving, it will allow the 

 body to be slightly emerged, and continue swimming for some time in this 

 state of partial submergence, like a deeply-laden ship. To show how completely 

 the position of the bird in the water, as to submergence entire or partial, is 

 under its own control, I will give one or two short extracts from the "^American 

 Birds" of the talented Audubon. In speaking of the Plotus anhinga, or Snake- 

 bird, he says, "The Anhinga is in truth the very first of all fresh-water divers; 

 with the quickness of thought it disappears beneath the surface, and that so 

 as scarcely to leave a ripple on the spot; and when your anxious eyes seek 

 around for the bird, you are astonished to find it many hundi-ed yards distant; 

 the head perhaps merely above water for a moment; or you may chance to 

 perceive the bill alone gently cutting the water, and producing a line of wake, 

 not observable beyond the distance of thirty yards from where you are standing. 

 With habits like these it easily eludes all your efforts to obtain it." 



