The Zoologist — April, 1866. 175 



shore on the 3rd, none were seen as far as ihe eye could reach, nor did 

 I meet wilh a Tringa of any kind, but found numerous small birds col- 

 lected in a sheltered nook on the shore, but none worthy of note, except 

 the white wagtail and meadow pipit. Innumerable small black flies 

 were swarming about, and collected on the decaying sea-weed : I 

 thought the birds might be in pursuit of them. 



Redthroated Diver. — January 6th. Though some hours were spent 

 in diver shooting and hunting, but one was secured ; it was a male, and 

 has more of the grayish tinge on the throat than those previously 

 procured or examined, and many of the feathers are slightly tipped and 

 edged with light reddish brown. Though the diver is rather an awk- 

 ward looking bird, owing to its comparatively small wings, long and 

 downward-curved neck, and slightly depressed tail, its flight is most 

 rapid ; and I have found them hard to kill, the plumage being so close 

 and stiff, and on the breast — which shines like silver or burnished steel 

 — almost invulnerable. Unlike the cormorant, shag, guillemot and 

 other species, they do not move in file, but fly apart or in loose flocks, 

 at some forty or fifty feet from the water. When disturbed they often, 

 after a short circular flight, return to their feeding-ground in the shoal 

 water on the ledges. When alarmed or shot at, they quack like a duck, 

 but their more usual cry is sonorous and plaintive. Comparatively 

 few were observed to-day, but the late tempestuous weather may be 

 the cause. But two gannets were observed, whereas last winter they 

 were very numerous. One black scoter, a iew guillemots, cormorants, 

 blackbacked gulls and kittiwakes were seen, and two of the latter were 

 shot ; they proved to be male and female, in perfect adult plumage. 

 The mouths of both are red, but there is no appearance of red around 

 the eye, which is hazel, and pupil black. The gizzard is elongated 

 and very muscular; that of the male contained the half-digested bones 

 of some small fish, but that of the female was quite empty, though 

 killed about mid-day ; but both were covered with fat of a bright yellow 

 colour. I have now seen and examined a considerable number of 

 divers without finding one with a red throat, and they all have the 

 back spotted with white, though one of them is but faintly marked. 

 According to Temminck and other authors the back of the adult is 

 blackish brown, — if so, none of the birds that have come uuder my 

 observation had arrived at maturity, the one above referred to being 

 dusky on the posterior part of the back only. The largest and finest 

 of the whole has the most, as well as purest, white markings, as de- 

 cribed after the second autumnal moult. The dusky-backed specimen 



