310 PRACTICAL ORNITHOLOGY. 



53. Great Northern Diver. Colymbus glacialis. 



54. Red-throated Diver. Colymbus septentrionalis. 



The prodigious flocks of Plovers that cover the sandfords 

 and shoals at low water, and the pasture grounds wdien the 

 tide is up, aftbrd excellent shooting ; as do the Rock Doves, 

 w^hich in winter traverse the cultivated ground in great num- 

 bers. To these, as objects of sport, may be added the Brent 

 Geese, Curlews, Snipes, and Starlings, together with the Ptar- 

 migans. One very severe winter, when the ground was covered 

 for six weeks, great numbers of the Pigeons died, and several 

 dead Woodcocks were found by the frozen rills. Flocks of 

 Rooks sometimes make their appearance after stormy weather, 

 althoush these birds breed nowhere in the district. It is sel- 

 dom, however, that snow lies very long in these islands, at least 

 along the coasts ; and the frequent storms, accompanied by 

 rain and sleet, however furious, seem to be rarely fatal to the 

 birds, although they sometimes prevent the Pigeons and Star- 

 lings from coming abroad for days. The Ptarmigans and small 

 birds can always find a secure retreat among the shrubs and 

 herbage ; and the Grallatores, among the rocks and stones of 

 the shores ; while for the Cormorants and other swimming 

 birds there are generally so many small bays and creeks, filled 

 with the young of the Gadus Carbonarius and other fishes, and 

 more or less sheltered from the blasts and billows of the Atlan- 

 tic, that they can seldom have much difficulty in obtaining 

 food. 



It will be seen, on comparing the above lists, that the num- 

 ber of land birds in winter is much greater in the south than 

 in the north of Scotland ; and that the littoral and aquatic 

 species are more proportionally numerous in the latter. 



Having thus taken a hasty glance of the ornithological con- 

 dition of the country in the cold season, we may now continue 

 our examination of the diiferent species, the next tribe that 

 comes under our consideration being that composed of the 

 small thick-billed birds, which are perhaps the most familiar 

 of all. 



