24 Wild Birds and thier Haunts 



velvet — the latter a tine bird — are found, and preserved 

 specimens can be seen. The surf -Scoter is never met with. 

 The latter is an American duck. 



The Merganser has often been seen and captured in the 

 harbours and creeks from the Firth of Forth to the 

 Yorkshire Coast. 



There is a bird which attracts many, viz., the Great 

 Northern Diver, an excellent specimen having been shot 

 this year in January by Lord William Percy and visiting 

 fowlers. 



Cormorants, Eider-ducks, and Shell-ducks may be seen 

 at any time breeding in large numbers on the Fame 

 Islands, and along the East coast southwards and north. 



It should be noted in passing that it is a common 

 practice in China to tame and use this bird (Cormorant) 

 for taking fish. A ring is fastened round the lower part 

 of its neck, to prevent it swallowing the fish it catches, 

 and thus its owner increases his revenue by its exertions. 

 At one time an ingenious islander adopted the same plan, 

 and was equally successful. The two latter species {Eider 

 and Shell-duck) make their nesting haunts on the Fames, 

 the latter sometimes prefers the mainland opposite these 

 islands for incubation. Very rarely do either succeed in 

 hatching their eggs, because of the rascally gulls, who 

 are ever on the alert to steal the eggs, should the mother 

 birds leave the nests uncovered for any time. 



Oyster-catchers or Sea-pies are numerous, and so are 

 Godwits or Speeths everywhere on the coast. 



The great attraction which this Holy island holds out 

 to sportsmen is centred in the dense numbers of Widgeon, 

 Mallard, Curlew, Teal, Plover (green, grey, and golden), 

 and Brent Geese. It is no exaggeration to say that they 

 arrive in clouds, and can be observed thousands strong 

 in the air and also on mud flats, feeding on the 

 widgeon grass, or " Zostera Marina." These sportsmen 

 have usually a lively time of it, bringing to shore from 

 twenty to eighty per day. The writer inspected the 

 victims of two shots by the swivel punt gun once when he 

 counted eighty birds, chiefly widgeon and mallard, with a 

 sprinkling of leal. 



