138 WILD LIFE OF SCOTLAND 



land ; but here they share the sea ledges with the 

 kittiwake, and, in their flight across the land, take 

 the place of our common pigeons. 



Shooting was prohibited as it was close time, and 

 we had omitted to provide ourselves with a special 

 licence as naturalists. Personally, I was not sorry, 

 as I object to any more stuffing than is absolutely 

 necessary. A stuffed bird always makes me 

 melancholy, affecting me very much as an Egyptian 

 mummy does. Probably, the resemblance to life is 

 equally close. Therefore, my objection to enter a 

 natural history museum. 



In ignorance of the prohibition, one of our 

 number shot a cormorant, which was diving about 

 twenty yards from the shore. Unwilling to lose 

 his reward, he endeavoured to swim out to it. 

 Between him and the object, were certain long 

 filaments, waving freely in the water. As he 

 struck out, these wrapped themselves round his 

 body. Each stroke brought him within reach of 

 new filaments, while the old retained their grasp. 

 Alone, and beyond the reach of help, he forgot the 

 bird, and was only concerned about reaching the 

 shore. By the act of turning, he only wrapped 

 himself so much the more tightly in the coils ; and, 

 it was by efforts well-nigh superhuman, such as 



