246 The Zoologist— June, 1866. 



green long distance greets his next rise, but, like a bullet, hits the water 

 worthless beyond hira. He is now up for diving, and yon never know, 

 except you are an experienced sea-fowl shooter, where he will rise, 

 as they dive to deceive you, and then turn under water. There he goes 

 flying from the water, about a hundred yards off. I fire to make him 

 drop, as this bird prefers seeking safety by diving rather than by flight, 

 and I am not disappointed, for he has dropped to the water and is diving 

 anew. (How 1 used once to humbug some crack shots this way, 

 dropping, as it were, a flying shag at a thousand yards off, the whistle 

 of the bullet being enough to make them seek safety in the water.) 

 They, of course, will not always fall to a shot. I have seen five flying 

 in a string, close the wings, and fall as one in the water, disappearing 

 the instant they touched it. Another shot is fired at hira, and the 

 neck again escapes, though he is the centre of a target. He now 

 stretches his wings, jerks his body strongly from the water, and makes 

 away as if determined to fly this time, but I am just loaded in time — 

 there is no deceit this time in his fall ; there is begad ! I have missed, 

 and he has only dropped for safety again, and has dived. Hah ! no, 

 there is no mistake ; he has risen to the surface, and that strelched-up 

 wing * * * * Poor fellow ! " What a beautiful bird, and what 

 a grand specimen he will make !" Yes, truly no bird is more beautiful 

 than an adult shag, with his plumage of green, velvet-black, and bur- 

 nished bronze ; the recurved topping on the head, the orange and 

 black patch at base of bill, and the dark green eye. At these times I 

 curse collections, for I know that I have taken what I should not take, 

 and what 1 cannot give — life. The shag is most easily shot. That 

 they will dive at the flash, as some assert, I have never seen : though I 

 have shot them in Ireland, England and Scotland, I never saw one 

 fired at that the shot did not strike round before he dived. If they did 

 dive at the flash you must hit them as they jump out of the water to 

 dive. This is a good excuse for bad shot. Modern authors have 

 copied the writings of the ancients when flints were in use, and have 

 thus given the shag credit for what he cannot do — dive before the shot 

 from a percussion gun reaches hira. It is nine o'clock and breakfast 

 is ready, four hours of a fresh morning with a cold batli at five making 

 one envy the banquets of the shags, but some of the luscious still 

 kicking mackerel, will soon be hissing over the coals, and after them 

 we will take a cruise to Lambay and Rockabill, where the shag may 

 be seen really at home. 



The breeze has freshened since morning, and under two powerful 



