360 SEASIDE DIVINITY. 



others. Thus the first order includes all birds of 

 prey ; the second, birds which perch ; the third, 

 those that scrape; the fourth embraces all wading 

 birds, and the fifth, all the swimmers. It is to 

 the two last of these five orders that we are now 

 to turn, selecting a few examples from some of 

 the many groups which they contain. 



Various species of gulls are common to our 

 sea-shores, building in the precipitous cliffs near 

 the sea, or resorting to a solitary island in some 

 distant lake for the same purpose. All of these 

 are remarkable for the ease and elegance of their 

 motions when on the wing, and for the power 

 with which they are able to make their way 

 amidst the storm. To the gull family belongs 

 the Tern, a bird which merits its popular name 

 of sea-swallow on account of its shape and its 

 rapidity of flight ; the Kitty-wake, so called from 

 its peculiar note ; the Fulmar, a large grey and 

 white species ; and the Storm-petrel, so dreaded by 

 the mariner as the forerunner of a tempest. In 

 addition to these, there are many birds which 

 frequent those parts of the sea-shore when the 

 tide recedes to a great distance leaving bare a 

 long tract of sand or mud in which they find an 

 ample supply of marine worms and other kinds 

 of food. Among these there are Curlews, Sand- 

 pipers, Plovers, and other birds ; they are, how- 

 ever, as a general rule, so shy, and keep at so 

 great a distance, that it is impossible to observe 

 their actions. 



The swimming birds that frequent our shores 



