364 HISTORY OF 



their industry. This, however, it would appear 

 they are not long in performing ; for towards night 

 they have another hungry call, and they again 

 reluctantly go to labour. At night, when their 

 fishing is over, and the toil of the day crowned 

 with success, these lazy birds retire a little way 

 from the shore ; and, though with the webbed feet 

 and clumsy figure of a goose, they will be content- 

 ed to perch no where but upon trees, among the 

 light and airy tenants of the forest. There they 

 take their repose for the night, and often spend a 

 great part of the day, except such times as they 

 are fishing, sitting in dismal solemnity, and as it 

 would seem half asleep. Their attitude is, with 

 the head resting upon their great bag, and that 

 resting upon their breast. There they remain 

 without motion, or once changing their situation, 

 till the calls of hunger break their repose, and till 

 they find it indispensably necessary to fill their 

 magazine for a fresh meal. Thus their life is 

 spent between sleeping and eating; and our author 

 adds, that they are as foul as they are voracious, 

 as they are every moment voiding excrements in 

 heaps as large as one's fist. 



The same indolent habits seem to attend them 

 even in preparing for incubation, and defending 

 their young when excluded. The female makes 

 no preparation for her nest, nor seems to choose 

 any place in preference to lay in, but drops her 

 eggs on the bare ground to the number of five or 

 six, and there continues to hatch them. Attached 

 to the place, without any desire of defending her 

 eggs or her young, she tamely sits and suffers them 



