Among the Water-Fowl 



throw out some cod-livers, and see the birds. just 

 then, as it happened, there was but one bird, a 

 Shearwater, in sight. It was but a moment or two 

 before it spied the mass floating on the water, sur- 

 rounded by a greasy *' slick,". and, alighting beside 

 it, proceeded, with satisfied grunts, to gorge itself 

 in the most eager and gluttonous maimer, as though 

 afraid that another might come to share the feast. 

 This evident anticipation was certainly well founded, 

 for in a moment, as though out of space, a Petrel 

 appeared, then another Shearwater, and soon there 

 were over flfty birds around us. Perfectly fearless, 

 they would swim or fly up, and almost take the 

 liver from our hands. It was a most animated and 

 interesting scene. 



This first day gave me yet another acquaintance. 

 As we were nearing the Ashing grounds, I spied a 

 large dark bird approaching, higher up than is usual 

 with the Shearwaters, flying more like a Gull. "A 

 Jiddy-hawk," exclaimed the fisherman, and, seizing 

 a clam from the *' washer," he tossed it over the 

 side. The bird would have passed us at some dis- 

 tance, but no sooner did it see the fisherman's move- 

 ment than it turned, and swooped down to the 

 water, quite close alongside. Then I knew that 

 the mysterious " Jiddy " was the Pomarine Skua, or 

 Jaeger — of a tribe that are a sort of predatory 

 adjunct to the Gull fraternity. We saw but two 

 more that day ; a little later in the season they were 

 abundant. 



Since that interesting day of initiation, a num- 

 ber of years ago, I have made many more trips 

 thither, and to other parts of our coast, to study 



lOO 



