THE OSPEEY. 



37 



which has probably existed during their inigra- 

 tion from distant regions. The same thing in 

 regard to going in tlocks is noticeable in the 

 fall when they collect for their antiminal migra- 

 tion from the fishing-banks. At such times they 

 show the same disinclination to bite at hook and 

 line that they exhibit when first arriving on the 

 fishing-gronnds. This apparent indifference to 

 food at such times is all the more remarkable, 

 since only a few days eUipse after the fiocks 

 have reached the fishing-grounds in the spring 

 before they break up; and in a little while after 

 the arrival of the hagdon it may be seen skim- 

 ming the surface of the water on a tireless wing, 

 totally unmindful of the presence or absence of 

 its companions, unless, indeed, their appearance 

 may indicate where food is abmidant; in such 

 cases it loses no time, but rapidly wings its way 

 to join them in the feast. Nor does it do this 

 from any feeling of sociability, if we may judge 

 from its actions, but simply to gratif3' its enor- 

 mous appetite. In doing this it fights and 

 strug-gles with all other birds, whether of its 

 own kind or of other species, to gain possession 

 of the finest mf)rsels, uttering, meanwhile, ex- 

 tremely harsh and discordant notes. When 

 feeding it displays a dash and pugnacit^^ that is 

 perfectly astonishing. The audacious laoldness 

 with which it will attack superior strength in 

 the struggle for food, and the ferocity and reck- 

 less braverj' it exhibits on such occasions can- 

 not fail to command the attention of all who 

 witness the performance. Nothing can exceed 

 the activity of the hag or its intrepid reckless- 

 ness, if I may so term it, when in pursuit of 

 food, and, wheji very hungry, it seems to pay 

 almost as little regard to the presence of man as 

 to the proximity of other birds. 



The tenacity of life exhibited by Piiffinus is 

 certainly surprising. It often happens that 

 after its skull has been crushed between the 

 teeth of its captors, a hagdon may lie seemingly 

 dead for several minutes and then recover suf- 

 ficiently to make desperate eftdrts to escape. In 

 several instances which I can recall, hags that 

 were thought to be dead have escaped by "flop- 

 ping" out over the slanting stern of the dorj', 

 nnnoticed by the fishermen until it was too late 

 to recover the wounded birds. 



The tenacity of life and the remarkable pug- 

 nacity of these birds have, upon many occasions, 

 provoked the fishermen to the cruel sport of tor- 

 menting them and prolonging their suft'erings. 

 Perhaps a dozen or more hags may be caught, 

 and having been put in a hogshead-tub, or in a 

 "gurry-pen", on the deck of the vessel, the fish- 

 ermen bring about an internecine war bj^ stir- 

 ring them up with a stick. At such times the 

 birds evidently imagine that their companions 

 are avowed enemies, and, pitching into their 

 nearest neighbc^rs, a general fight and terrible 

 commotion ensue, while the feathers ^y in all 

 directions, much to the amusement of the men. 

 In a short time the birds which were taken from 

 the water sleek and strong, are utterly worn out, 

 in their struggles with one another, and present 

 a bedraggled, forsaken, and disreputable appear- 



ance. The fishermen also sometimes tie two hags 

 by the legs, using a string about one foot in 

 length, which enables the birds to .swim, but 

 keeps them in unpleasant contact, the conse- 

 quence being that they fight until one or both 

 succumb. 



The hagdon is remarkably strong and swift in 

 its fiight. Often it nvAy be seen skimming over 

 the waves, passing from the top of one sea to 

 another, scarcely moving a muscle; but by trim- 

 ming its wings, if such an expression is allow- 

 able, first poised on one wing and then on the 

 other, it is apparently propelled without an ef- 

 fort on its part, but simply by the action of the 

 wind beneath. This method of flight, however, 

 is frequently' varied, for when necessary the 

 hagdon can and does move its wings with great 

 power and considerable rapidity. When in pur- 

 suit of food it plunges suddenly down into the 

 water, striking on its breast with great violence, 

 and in a manner quite different from that in 

 which gulls alight. Its methods of diving is also 

 different from that of man3' other species. It 

 never plunges head first into the water as do the 

 gannet. kingfisher, and many other piscivorous 

 birds; but it first alights upon the surface, as 

 just noted, disappearing almost instantly. It is 

 an active swimmer under water, and when in 

 pursuit of food passes rapidly from one object to 

 another, provided it cannot eat the first thing 

 which attracts its attention. When the hagdon 

 finds food agreeable to its taste, it immediately 

 rises to the surface and hastily swallows the 

 morsel, if it is not too large. This manner of 

 eating is necessary as a matter of self-protection, 

 for if the bird delays swallowing its food, it will 

 soon have to dispute its right of possession with 

 its companions. 



It is a common occurrence for a number of 

 these birds to chase a boat for half an hour or 

 more at a time, diving like a flash, everj^ few 

 minutes, after the bubbles made by the oars, 

 which these winged rangers seem to imagine 

 some kind of food beneath the surface of the 

 water. Nor will repeated failures discourage 

 them in making these attempts. They will also 

 persistently follow a dory from which a trawl is 

 being set, and diving in the wake of the boat, 

 after the sinking gear, make desperate endeavors 

 to tear the bait from the hooks. In these at- 

 tempts they are often successful, much to the 

 chagrin of the fishermen whose chances for 

 catching fish are thus materially diminished by 

 these daring robbers." 



The voracity and fearlessness which are thus 

 so strikingly displayed by the hagdon offers the 

 fishermen an opportunity to administer what 

 they consider retributive justice, since the cap- 

 ture of these birds is thus made a comparatively 

 easy task. Formerly, as has been stated, when 

 shack-fishing was extensively carried on by the 

 (irand Bank codfishermen, great numbers of 

 J'litfinus were caught for bait with hook and line. 

 Before proceeding to describe the methods of 

 capture I shall refer to the food of these birds. 

 From my observations I am of the opinion that 

 the hag subsists chiefly on squid, which of 



*My brother. Capt. D. E. Collins, tells me that on several occasions he distinctly recollects that hagdons were 

 caught on trawl-lines belonging to his vessel, the hooks having fastened in the beak or throat ol the greedy Dirds, 

 which had swallowed the bait before they had torn it from the sinking gear. 



