The Zoologist — April, 1867. 087 



and Son, of Dublin, can lay low the biggest goose or cormorant with 

 the same shot at thirty yards, and with No. 2, my favourite grain, I 

 fear nothing up to fifty yards. Many have told me that they aim but 

 a foot ahead ; they of course strike the spot aimed for, but the bird 

 leaves the shot eight or ten yards behind him. This bird was in full 

 fresh summer dress, the head and neck still moulting, the sprouting 

 feathers being black; in the chin were some white winter feathers. It 

 was not that the bird had retained, by bad moult or sickness, the 

 summer dress of 1866; he was assuming, in December, 1866, the 

 plumage for the summer of 1867. Such a bird I should have expected 

 to meet in April. May not this account for some of the "red throats" 

 and summer plumaged Colymbi found in winter ? It is decidedly, 

 though, an abnormity, as the bird may be met in thousands half in 

 winter and half in summer plumage in March ; and the same way, 

 though vice versa in August and September. 



Shag crested at Christmas. — December 24th. The "Gray Gull" 

 was among the shags to-day ; they are growing scarcer every year, I 

 am sorry to say ; this winter they have almost deserted the Dalkey 

 shores. I saw a good many in this their loved winter haunt, but very 

 local — a sad sign this localness, and one I dread. I wished to prove 

 clearly to all concerned that they are crested at this season, so I 

 limited myself to kill three. Selecting my old position I quickly shot 

 the desired number as they flew past, and also a northern diver on the 

 wing. Two of them unfortunately were only in second winter (see S. 

 S. 256) : when the plumage is wet it is difficult to distinguish them at 

 any distance from the adult. The third also had never bred, being in 

 its third winter (S. S. 256), but she had, however, and early too, began 

 to assume the crest, quite enough to corroborate me. I forwarded 

 this bird's head to Mr. Newman, as proof of my former statement, and 

 I hope those who wrote to me as being too sweeping in my writings 

 will be now convinced of their injustice; I hope also to live to sweep 

 some of the mildew off the common things of the sea. Ornithology 

 has so long been governed by men unversed in its " rude realities," 

 and most of the standard works are so full of "wild fancies," that I 

 stand prepared for any amount of contumely my optical observations 

 may engender. I consider that the sooner ignorant notions are 

 dissipated the sooner will true Ornithology flourish. I will therefore 

 in my writings quote and refute as many of the reigning absurdities as 

 I can, and although 1 may get the name of being dogmatical I will 

 never, to use a vulgarism, " suck up " to the writings of any man, when 



