OBSERVATIONS ON THK NORTHERN DIVER. 



93 



attacked the Rookery, shooting the Rooks amid loud acclamations! 



Ignorant prejudices often take deep root, and are handed down from ancient 

 to modern times. It therefore becomes the duty of the naturalist of the 

 nineteenth century to point out these prejudices in their true colours; and I 

 am sure that there is no right-thinking individual but who must be satisfied 

 of the great services rendered to his fellow-creatures at least ten months 

 out of the twelve, by the united and valuable aid of birds. That the services 

 of the Rook alone have of late years attracted considerable attention in England, 

 on the part of those who h^ve in some measure been their greatest enemies, 

 is apparent from the numerous enquiries which we almost weekly read of 

 in the various periodicals of the day, wishing to know how they can induce 

 the Rooks to return to the Rookery, from which they had been banished 

 some ten years before. This fact itself is a most convincing proof of the 

 vitility of the Rook. 



(To be continued.) 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE 



AUTUMNAL AND VERNAL MOULTINGS OF THE 



COLYMBUS GLACIALIS, {NORTHERN £>IVJER.) 



BY MR. CLEMENT JACKSON. 



Two top figures— Winter plumage. Three lower— Summer plumage. 



Whilst recently reading Selby's "Description of the Divers," I was forcibly 

 struck with the omission of any reference to the changes of plumage to which 

 in common with their neighbours, they are regularly subject after attaining 

 maturity; changes so complete as to destroy their identity, except to those 

 well acquainted with them. He says, "0. Glacialis is a common winter 

 visitant in its stages of immaturity on our northern coast, but adults rare, as 

 out of twenty specimens examined only two were mature;" but the months 



