IN THE SHETLANDS 139 
beautiful and interesting, may do; but this is such 
a great set-off that the whole country might be ruined 
by beasts before any true sportsman would wish 
to have the evil ended together with his daily 
blood-draught. The same man who would keep 
up foxes, to the ruin of agriculture and the de- 
population of poultry-yards, makes a shout against 
the poor cormorants, because to the million enemies 
that prevent any one kind of fish from crowding out 
every other kind, it adds its wholly inappreciable 
efforts. ‘‘ This also is vanity and a great evil.” But 
what a picturesque morning call to receive! 
The three young guillemots are still where they 
were, but the fourth, which was the first one I saw, 
and the largest, seems to be gone. I saw this little 
bird pretty plainly through the glasses, and often 
flapping its little wings ; and it seemed to me evident 
that it could not yet fly. But who shall say absolutely 
that it could not, seeing how soon young pheasants 
do, and how strange and little fitted for it they look? 
Still more, who shall say that, though it cannot fly, 
it may not have been able to flutter down to the sea? 
Until, therefore, the young guillemot is actually seen 
to leave the ledge, there can be no certainty as to the 
manner in which it leaves it. Perhaps it has been 
seen to. Fe nen sais rien, nor do I want to except 
through experience. What is a cake to me if / cannot 
eat it? 
I have just seen a curious contrast. A pair of 
birds, for some reason, began to fight, and fought 
