160 BIRD-LIFE OF THE I50RDERS, 



steamer, as they go through their matutinal evohitious 

 preparatory to " coming inside." For some ten minutes 

 these evolutions continue, and in the increasing light the 

 forms of their dense columns hecome gradually discernible, 

 gyrating rapidly to and fro beyond the line of breakers to 

 seaward. Presently up they come, always high in air, unless 

 half a gale blows right in their teeth, and pass up the channel, 

 clanging down, as it were, a loud defiance to man to do his 

 worst. As daylight becomes fully established, there appear 

 the weird-looking Divers {Cobjmhi), usually the last, or 

 perhaps an unwieldy Cormorant brings up the rear ; and 

 now the rim of the sun appears above the eastern horizon, 

 and one lingers a few minutes longer while the eye revels in 

 the gorgeous hues and the lovely effects of a sunrise over 

 the sea. 



Such, in rough outline, is the " morning flight," as it 

 may be observed any winter's dawn at a well-frequented 

 resort. The fowl pass in and out pretty regularly in some- 

 thin" like the order named, and to a lover of bird-life the 

 whole scene is a delightful and interesting one. In addition 

 to the species named, various others may be observed, 

 according to locality. Thus, for example, the Grey Geese 

 pass certain points as regularly as dawn and dusk come 

 round. The particular harbour the writer has in his mind's 

 eye in describing the above, does not happen to lie in their 

 line of flight, though they pass regularly over a point only a 

 few miles distant. 



Apart from the charm of observing these wild creatures, 

 there is but little other reward, for it is seldom that any of 

 the more desirable fowl pass over within gunshot ; on fine, 

 calm mornings especially they fly very high — up in the clouds. 

 During rough, boisterous w^eather, when the force of the wind 

 is dead against the fowl, their flight is lower, and on such 

 mornings a pair or two vun/ be secured before breakfast. 

 As it is precisely on such occasions that one cannot go afloat 

 in a gunning-punt, the morning flight then afi'ords an inter- 

 esting, and sometimes exciting, means of relieving, for an 

 hour or two, the tedium of Avhat would otherwise be a blank 

 day. 



