DOMESTIC LIFE 



ice-foot, when they might be seen all to stretch 

 their necks up and take a good look at the proposed 

 landing-place. Having done this, every bird would 

 suddenly disappear beneath the surface, not a 

 ripple showing which direction they had taken, till 

 suddenly, sometimes in a bunch, sometimes in a 

 stream, one after the other they would all shoot 

 out of the water, clean up on to the top of the ice- 

 foot. (Figs. 41 and 42.) Several times I measured 

 the distance from the surface of the water to the 

 ledge on which they landed, and the highest leap 

 I recorded was exactly five feet. The "take off" 

 was about four feet out from the edge, the whole 

 of the necessary impetus being gained as the bird 

 approached beneath the water. 



The most important thing to note about this 

 jumping from the water was the accuracy with 

 which they invariably rose at precisely the right 

 moment, the exact distance being judged during 

 their momentary survey of a spot from a distance, 

 before they dived beneath the water, and carried in 

 their minds as they approached the ice. I am sure 

 that this impression was all they had to guide them, 

 as with a ripple on the water, and at the pace they 

 were going, they could not possibly have seen their 

 landing-place at all clearly as they approached it, 



¥ 81 



