158 TALKS ABOUT BIRDS 



When the ducks are ashore, however, the 

 diving bird's big feet and short straddling legs 

 are in his way, and he waddles much worse 

 than an ordinary duck ; and he also starts on 

 the wing much more awkwardly as a rule. 

 So that even in creatures so much alike as 

 ducks, one can see that getting one advantage 

 generally means giving up another more or 

 less. 



A bird that is not very much known as a 

 diver is the moorhen's near relation, the 

 coot ; but it does dive for food a good deal, 

 and very fairly well too. It looks very funny 

 when doing so, because it takes such a jump 

 to go under that it fairly lifts itself out of 

 the water ; but it is interesting that it 

 should dive at all, for it belongs to a family 

 which is not even web-footed, though its feet 

 are rather better for water work than the 

 moorhen's, as the toes are fringed with a 

 scalloped skin which does duty for a web to 

 some extent. 



It will be seen that, except the penguins, 

 all the different types of diving birds I have 

 been talking of are represented in this country, 

 and the north is very well off for birds of this 



