The Zoologist — April, 1867. 677 



thus, if the head and neck escape, they are all right. The suggestion 

 which Mr. Blake-Knox makes about the use of the stiff, long tail, is, 

 I am convinced, the right solution of the question : any one who gives 

 a thought to the matter must see what a splendid lever this singular 

 tail is to the bird in assisting it to spring out of the water in diving, 

 and it probably also is a good means of steadying it, when, with its 

 body in a perpendicular position, it is forcing its bill between the 

 stones at the bottom. In the first instance the tail acts in the same 

 manner as that of the kangaroo in leaping. Mr. Blake-Knox ma}' be 

 quite right in saying that these birds do not gorge themselves after the 

 manner of the gannet, for instance; but I will relate the following 

 fact which seems to me to bear somewhat upon this question. While 

 drifting along the other day, near the edge of a mud-flat in Nigg Bay, 

 we came upon a cormorant sitting bolt upright on the flat, about two 

 hundred yards from the water, and looking in his loneliness something 

 like one's idea of the " pelican in the wilderness." Upon my friend 

 getting out of the boat and walking with murderous intent towards 

 him, he presented a ludicrous appearance ; he was sitting with his 

 back towards his approaching enemy, a position which he did not 

 alter, but looked askance at him over his shoulder and twisted his long 

 neck and head from side to side, after the manner of a weathercock 

 in a gusty wind. There he remained till a deliberate " pot " knocked 

 him down, when he commenced to decamp by flapping along the 

 sands; he was caught, however, and showed considerable fight. He 

 had not the appearance of being gorged. I did not open him, as I 

 did not give much thought to the circumstance at the time, and as I 

 wished to send him away in the flesh along with other specimens. 

 What was the cause of his inactivity ? 



Grallatores — The commonest of this class was the ringed dotterel. 

 They frequented the shingle in small flocks, and in twos and threes. 

 They became so tame during the frost that I often observed them 

 running about close to the fishermen's huts. Redshanks, dunlins and 

 a few godwits I met with on the flats of Nigg Bay; and had I taken 

 the trouble to visit the sands there and collect specimens of this family 

 I dare say I should have met with many other members of it, as the 

 locality was very favourable to their habits. 



Rock Pigeon. — There are numerous caves in the rocks and cliffs of 

 both the Suters, some of which swarm with these birds ; they are asso- 

 ciated largely with tame pigeons, which may easily be detected by 



