360 NATATORES. 



as some other birds, and they do not extend their flights so 

 far to seaward, but they descend upon larger game, and do it 

 with more energy. They beat the waters as an eagle beats 

 the wilds, and descend on their finny prey with great impe- 

 tuosity and force, plunging into the water till it closes over 

 them (though they have common few of the attributes of tie 

 divers), and again walking upward to the surface, taking wing 

 and returning to the cliff to feast themselves, or to feed their 

 young. Though they find their food in the waters, and gene- 

 rally descend for it on the wing, they are shore birds rathei 

 than sea birds, and some of them occasionally visit the inlanc 

 waters, levying their contributions pretty heavily upon the 

 finny inhabitants. 



And they are well furnished for their peculiar way of life, 

 in all the attributes of strength, power of wings, and struc- 

 ture of bill and feet. None of the British species equal the 

 golden eagle, either in weight or in extent of wing ; but one 

 of them is larger than the osprey, and they are all compara- 

 tively powerful birds. Their wings are hollow, so that they 

 take a powerful hold of even a thin stratum of air, and thus 

 they are enabled to mount at once from the water, without 

 any of that fluttering, and quick and laborious motion of the 

 wings, to wHich most of the dabbling birds must have re- 

 course before they can gain the sky. Their sight is keen 

 keener perhaps than that of eagles, as they can fish, and con- 

 sequently see their prey from a height, when the curl of 

 the surface so scatters the light, that human vision, aided by 

 all the contrivances of science, could not penetrate a single 

 inch. 



Their bills are very long and very powerful ; and though 

 they have not the deadly character of the bills of some land 

 birds, as simply lifting out of the water is death to their 

 prey, they are perfect models of prehensile instruments. In 

 some, the bill is straight, sharp at the point, and serrated in 



