RAVENS, CURLEWS, AND EIDER-DUCKS 149 



the dabchick or little grebe. It is pretty to see them, 

 a dozen or so together. They pursue each other 

 under the water — in anger, I think, but it has the 

 appearance of sport ; it is a joyous anger. They seem 

 all in a state of collective excitement, and out of 

 this one will make a sudden dart at another, who 

 dives, and the pursuit is then alternately under or 

 on the water, and sometimes just skimming along 

 it on the wing, exactly as dabchicks do. Yet the 

 black guillemot is a fair flier, having to ascend the 

 precipices, and the dabchick too, for the matter of that, 

 can if he chooses rise into the air and fly seriously. 

 There are three modes of delivering the attack in 

 fighting. In the first two the one bird either just 

 darts on the other when quite near, in which case there 

 may be a slight scuffle before either or both disappear, 

 or flies at him over the water from a greater or lesser 

 distance and often very nearly gets hold of him, but 

 never quite. Invariably the other is down in time, 

 if it be only the justest of justs. The third plan, 

 which is the most ruse, is for the attacking bird to 

 dive whilst yet some way off, and, coming up be- 

 neath his " objective," to spear up at him with his bill. 

 And so nicely does he judge his distance that he 

 always does come up exactly where the swimming 

 bird was, — not is, for this one is as invariably gone. 

 Yet this plan must sometimes be successful, though 

 I did not see a case in which it was. At least, I 

 judge so by the precipitation with which the bird on 

 the water when he saw the other one dive — as he 

 always did, and divined his intention — flew up and 

 off to some distance. In just the same way have I 

 seen the great crested grebe rise up and fly far over 



