ON BIRDS. 349 



rose, some on my right and some on my left hand; 

 and just before and over my head, I perceived 

 (though indistinctly, from the extreme velocity of 

 their motion) two birds fly directly against each 

 other, when instantly, to my great astonishment, 

 down dropped a partridge at my feet : the dog imme- 

 diately seized it, and, on examination, I found the 

 blood flow very fast from a fresh wound in the head, 

 but there was some dry clotted blood on its wings 

 and side; whence I concluded, that a hawk had 

 singled out my wounded bird as the object of his 

 prey, and had struck it down the instant that my 

 approach had obliged the birds to rise on the wing; 

 but the space between the hedges was so small, and 

 the motion of the birds so instantaneous and quick, 

 that I could not distinctly observe the operation. 



MARKWICK. 



GREAT SPECKLED DIVER, OR LOON. As one of 

 my neighbours was traversing Wolmer Forest, from 

 Bramshot across the moors, he found a large uncom- 

 mon bird fluttering in the heath, but not wounded, 

 which he brought home alive. On examination it 

 proved to be colymbus glacialis, Linn, the great 

 speckled diver, or loon, which is most excellently de- 

 scribed in Willughby's Ornithology. 



Every part and proportion of this bird is so incom- 

 parably adapted to its mode of life, that in no in- 

 stance do we see the wisdom of God in the creation 

 to more advantage. The head is sharp, and smaller 

 than the part of the neck adjoining, in order that it 

 may pierce the water ; the wings are placed forward, 

 and out of the centre of gravity, for a purpose which 

 shall be noticed hereafter; the thighs quite at the 

 podex, in order to facilitate diving ; and the legs are 

 flat, and as sharp backwards almost as the edge of a 

 knife, that, in striking, they may easily cut the 



