The Zoologist — Maech, 1867. 627 



be surrounded by the sea (for I am a wild-fowl shooter), or perchance 

 not even this poor comfort, but a starry curtain and a sandy bed, my 

 lullaby the wind hissing and screeching through the leaves of the 

 waving bent grass. With morning dawn, the tide being out again, 

 and with a goodly load of ducks, perchance something rare, to warm 

 my heart, though it seldom chills, for love of Nature can resist for a 

 time, it may be years, the hardships and the dangers of the devoted 

 sea-naturalist's life, — pleasure, too often death, — I trudge the strands 

 towards the little shebeen, the only house within miles to get my 

 breakfast of native whisky, eggs, potatoes and griddle bread. On my 

 way I rouse the little "leaden-legged gull," who at my approach 

 stretches out his head, expands his wings, takes a step or two, and 

 pushes himself off the strand, as it were, by his feet, only to alight 

 again some few yards off and walk with crouched head and solemn 

 air, as if he knew that there was no hurry, and that the tide took six 

 hours to fall and six to flow again. But what sees he now that he 

 erects his head and walks so stately and majestically, with cautious 

 glance and head turned to one side? With lusty strokes he breaks 

 the "sea-hearts" shell and breakfasts off the rich contents. Now he 

 walks to the nearest pond, dips his bill in it and keeps it there, shaking 

 it violently, so much so that the water flies about him on every side ; 

 had water not been near to cleanse it he would have done the same in 

 the sand. See how smartly, yet how majestically, that little fellow 

 gets out of the way of yon lordly blackbacked gull, and how the tyrant 

 strikes at him with his ponderous beak for daring to be so near or to 

 feed in his presence, and yet deigns to finish what his little companion 

 was eating. Hear how shrilly he cries " is-kree-e-e-e," when that 

 herring gull "wools" him by the back of the neck for daring to run 

 too close past him. See him now arrange his plumes and shake his 

 wings, jumping and dancing, as it were to taunt his larger brethren. 

 See him play the tyrant himself to some weaker or more amiable 

 brother. See him now take wing and drop again, into another little 

 " bunch " of gulls, where his presence is greeted with peevish cries. 

 See them all rise in hurried disorder off the strand, as my right and 

 left bring down that duck and mallard as they flew past me, — the 

 blackbacked gull how he slowly and heron-Yike flaps away, — the 

 herring gulls how they wheel and soar over the dead ducks, dismally 

 "laughing" "key-o key-o ha-ha-ha," — the curlews^ in the distance 

 [ trumpet forth their wild " coy-co-o-e," — vast flocks of sandbirds rise in 

 shadoicy clouds, now their backs, anon their snowy breasts, before the 



