The Zoologist— Jan uauy, 1869. 1501 



liarly as they are shaped, when using them as oars under water — an 

 obvious reason for the uniformity of the moult: so beautifully mindful 

 is Nature of her smallest creatures ! When devoid of quills they are 

 easily approached and killed. 



Independent FligJtt. -October 22. Cruised upon the White and 

 and Oyster Banks to-day in pursuit of Colymbi. Noticed them in 

 small numbers. They were also very wild, taking wing on being 

 approached. Failed in getting many shots at this class of bird, but 

 dropped pretty lively on gannets, ducks and a goosander. When 

 heading for home two bore down on me in full flight about thirty 

 yards high : as they passed over I gave the leader (they always fly iu 

 file) the first barrel, which brought him up all of a lump, but, recover- 

 ing, he was flying away, when I put the second charge into him : 

 this injured his wing, and he fell about two hundred yards from me, 

 disappearing under water, and was not seen by me again. His com- 

 panion flew on in the same direction, but soon returned, as if in 

 search ol" his lost companion, flying most gracefully over and round 

 the boat, uttering the one syllable " quack " monotonously. 1 dropped 

 him with a cartridge, and though he fell vomiting blood I could not 

 get a second shot at him, so expert was he in the water, showing but 

 the head above the surface, which, coupled with an ugly cross sea, 

 caused me soon to lose him. I mention this incident to prove that 

 the wing is not only used to help the divers from one place to 

 another, but that they can evolute in the air as well as the best of the 

 Anseridse, to which in flight they are very similar. It also would 

 prove that they are not the selfish, unsociable birds, devoid of 

 affection, that they are generally considered ; for these birds had not 

 even the advantage of being mated adults, but were young of the year. 

 I have frequently noted with what affection a diver will linger about 

 the spot where its companion was killed, uttering its soft, wild, wailing 

 note; and cruelly have I decoyed them to the same fate by an imita- 

 tion of their plaintive cries. Another, flying in to fish on the shoals of 

 Merrion, seemed quite as uncertain where to alight as the wariest old 

 mallard, but kept flying in converging circles like this bird till he had 

 decided on a place, then, gradually lessening the circles, alighted with 

 ease on the water. When approaching him in the shoal water with the 

 punt, I gave him a wide berth to leeward. When about three hundred 

 yards to windward of him, and as I gradually began to close him, his 

 suspicions were aroused, and he rose like a duck from the water, 

 crossing my bows within ten yards. (Before I have stated how foolish 



