402 HISTORY OF 



out from their burrows with a hooked stick. 

 They bite extremely hard, and keep such fast 

 hold of whatever they seize upon, as not to be 

 easily disengaged. Their noise when taken is 

 very disagreeable, being like the efforts of a dumb 

 person attempting to speak. 



The constant depredation which these birds 

 annually suffer, does not in the least seem to in- 

 timidate them, or drive them away ; on the con- 

 trary, as the people say, the nest must be robbed, 

 or the old ones will breed there no longer. All 

 birds of this kind lay but one egg j yet if that be 

 taken away, they will lay another, and so on to a 

 third ; which seems to imply, that robbing their 

 nests does not much intimidate them from laying 

 again. Those, however, whose nests have been 

 thus destroyed, are often too late in bringing up 

 their young ; who, if they be not fledged and 

 prepared for migration when all the rest depart, 

 are left at land to shift for themselves. In 

 August the whole tribe is seen to take leave of 

 their summer residence, nor are they observed 

 any more till the return of the ensuing spring. 

 It is probable that they sail away to more south- 

 ern regions, as our mariners frequently see my- 

 riads of water fowl upon their return, and steering 

 usually to the north. Indeed, the coldest coun- 

 tries seem to be their most favoured retreats ; and 

 the number of water fowl is much greater in those 

 colder climates, than in the warmer regions near 

 the Line. The quantity of oil which abounds in 

 their bodies, serves as a defence against cold, and 

 preserves them in vigour against its severity j but 



