208 CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. 



exercise patience before she was confiding enough 

 to come properly to the surface. 



All this time I was lying prone on my stomach 

 with my face close to the ground, looking through 

 a little tuft of rushes close by. When the Diver 

 eventually showed herself she was a goodish distance 

 off and seemingly of a very diffident and suspicious 

 turn of mind — she didn't like the appearance of 

 things at all. This distrust was very much inten- 

 sified too by Gulls and other birds which were 

 constantly passing and re-passing over my head ; 

 seeing me hiding, and coming to the conclusion that 

 "all was not well" they would, by a certain call- 

 note they have — a language amongst themselves in 

 fact — give the bird warning of the danger she 

 was in. 



Unfortunately for me, too, there was a pair of 

 young Black- Backed Gulls on the island where I 

 was, and the parents of these birds would swoop 

 down at me and almost take the cap off my head. 

 All this time my bird was getting more and more 

 anxious ; at times she would open her beak, at 

 others, get round my position so as to almost out- 

 flank me — my position being head to wind. Well, I 

 remained lying prone on my stomach till almost 

 evening, and coming to the conclusion that any 

 effort I mia"ht make would be futile without clearing- 

 the ground of the young Black- Backed Gulls, I 

 decided to give it up for that day, but before leaving 

 I killed the young birds, gave the parents a dose 

 each of shot, and returned to my hotel. 



