42 ORNITHOLOGICAL RAMBLES. 



its progress far out of harm's reach. At other times, 

 when shooting rock pigeons at the foot of the craig, if 

 any happen to be slightly wounded, but still able to 

 fly, this bird, singling out in a moment the weak 

 straggler from the flock, has, though previously unseen 

 or heard, dropped from her watchful position, and 

 striking the doomed quarry, borne it off swift as 

 thought to her ledge. 



Having now made the descent of the craig, and com- 

 menced my return homewards, I clambered down a 

 steep bank for a stroll upon the shore. I now shot a 

 small bird, which turned out to be the rock pipit 

 (AntJius obscurus). It was resting upon the edge of the 

 highest peak of a crag that overhung the flat range of 

 shelving rocks from which I fired. Instead of toppling 

 over, as I had expected would be the case, it had 

 received the brunt of the charge and fell dead upon the 

 spot on which it stood. There being no visible evidence 

 of any sort of communication, however circuitous, by 

 which the top of the cliff could be reached from the 

 rocks below, I had no choice but to scale its face. This 

 I fortunately succeeded in effecting, though not without 

 that continual misgiving which an inexperienced crags- 

 man may well be expected to entertain. There is 

 something extremely disagreeable in finding yourself 

 perched half-way up a perpendicular heigbt, labour- 

 ing under a reasonable uncertainty as to whether it is 

 more possible to progress or to retire, the small, pro- 



