2/0 A Few Notes on Bird Life, &c. [Sess. 



specimen, ornamented his room. He was crossing the Pool 

 with his gun when this strange bird flew over him. He fired 

 and broke its wing, and it fell into the water. On getting it 

 into the boat, he threw a handkerchief over its head to prevent 

 being pecked ; and holding it in one arm, he commenced pad- 

 dling the boat to shore with the other. But he soon found 

 the bird had other offensive weapons besides its beak, for he 

 had not proceeded far before he felt the talons of one foot 

 penetrate his thigh, and on moving a little, in went the claws 

 of the other foot into his other thigh, and the blood soon 

 began to ooze through his trousers. In this peculiar fix he 

 paddled to the shore and obtained assistance. He tried to 

 keep the osprey alive, but was unsuccessful, and it was after 

 this adventure with the osprey that the keepers were forbid- 

 den by the noble owner of the estate to kill any strange birds 

 appearing on the property. This prohibition has continued 

 up to the present time, and I know that subsequently, for 

 several years in succession, a pair of peregrine falcons regu- 

 larly spent the winter there, feeding on the wild ducks and 

 coots, &c., frequenting the pool. On our fishing excursions 

 to Combe we always took a field-glass ; and one day last 

 August we saw five birds on the water which we were 

 certain were none of the ordinary wild -fowl. We soon 

 made out that they were a family of crested grebes {Fodiceps 

 cristatus), two old and three young ones, the latter more than 

 half-grown. While we were noticing them through our glass, 

 one of the parents, after several long dives, came up near us 

 carrying a small fish. He looked about for his family, and 

 after several long dives, still retaining the fish in his bill, he 

 emerged close to them, and placing the fish in a young one's 

 bill, who bolted it whole, went off again for more sport. We 

 did not see these birds fly or swim far on the surface — indeed 

 they seldom either fly or walk, and there can be no doubt 

 that diving is their natural mode of progression. In flying, 

 they would have the exertion of supporting their body on 

 short and not very powerful wings, and could use wings 

 alone ; on the surface, the legs only could be used ; but in 

 diving, both legs and wings are brought into action. The 

 nest where the young grebes were hatched was curious. It 

 was made of reeds and rushes, and floated on the surface, but 



