Birds. 9519 



which commenced about the end of December, drove them to the low 

 grounds. Now there is not an open spring in this neighbourhood at 

 which one or more may not be found. 1 have again paid several visits 

 to Balta, where the greater part of the large flock of snipe which I have 

 previously mentioned still remains. When they are assembled in this 

 manner very few can be shot, for the first one which rises is sure to 

 alarm all the others, the spot in which they lie being of very limited 

 extent. Their first flight is always directed towards the shore, where 

 they alight among the rocky pools; but a second alarm drives them 

 seawards, most of them disappearing in the direction of the hills, and 

 all flying high, only a few returning to the island. §nipe are often to 

 be met with upon the shore at low water, but this chiefly happens in 

 frosty weather. One nearly calm evening, about a fortnigiit ago, as 

 I was sailing home close in shore, a little afler sunset, my attention 

 was attracted by the slight movement of some object upon the top of 

 a large rock above me, and upon the nearer approach of the boat the 

 form of a small bird became dimly visible against the sky. As it 

 crouched among the seaweed with the head depressed and the tail con- 

 siderably elevated, the apparition was a little perplexing, and in con- 

 setpience of my hasty assertion that it was some rare species of sand- 

 piper quite new to me, my companion fired and killed it; but on the 

 discovery being made that he had simply murdered an unlucky snipe, 

 his mortification was only equalled by mine at my faulty Ornithology. 



Longtailed Duck. — The large number of shags which have been 

 attracted to the coast by the enormous shoals of sillocks, are agaiii 

 causing a scarcity of longlailed ducks (Zool. 9127). Nearly all that 

 I have seen this winter have been adult males, swimming in deep water, 

 but not one, either old or young, has yet fallen into my hands, although 

 in former years I obtained many specimens. Even under the most 

 favourable circumstances it is by no means easy to shoot these birds. 

 They seldom allow a boat to row up to them, and although under sail 

 one may run up within forty yards or less, they will in most instances 

 manage to escape by diving. Sometimes they take wing instead, and 

 then they are easily shot ; but it is almost useless to attempt to hit them 

 as they sit in the water, so expert are they in diving to the flash. 



Merlin. — Merlins are much less numerous here in winter than at 

 other times of the year, and those which 1 have shot at that season 

 have all been old birds. Adult males have the cere, tarsi -and feet 

 deep gamboge-yellow, tinged more or less with orange; but in all the 

 young birds and adult females which I have examined, those parts 

 have always been pale sulphur-yellow. 



