2986 Tue Zootocist—Marcu, 1872. 
Gannet.—On the 16th of January some fishermen brought in a 
fine gannet, which had been caught with a line and hook baited 
with the half of a herring. 
Redthroated Diver and Blackheaded Gull—On the 20th of 
January I walked many miles along the coast, and observed one 
redthroated diver and some hundreds of blackheaded gulls, in 
flocks, resting on the water just outside the breakers. On one 
occasion a whole flock suddenly rose and flew direct to a field in 
which a man was ploughing, and after hovering round him for 
awhile began to dip and alight in the newly made furrows, picking 
up the earthworms turned up by the plongh. Near the same field 
I once shot a kittiwake, which brought up a mass of earthworms 
nearly as large as my fist. 
Cormorant, §c.—There were also, on the 20th of January, a 
great many cormorants and shags to be seen fishing and drying 
their wings on the rocks. On the 23rd I saw two northern 
divers, many razorbills, and one guillemot near the entrance of 
the Hamoaze. 
Kittiwakes.—Many ornithologists have an idea that the kittiwake 
is only a summer visitor to our coasts, but with us it is met with 
in autumn and winter, and at the present time it is very numerous. 
Of all the British gulls the kittiwake is by far the most tame, and 
least able to bear storms or severe weather, during a continuance 
of which they are often picked up dead or exhausted on the land, 
sometimes even in the middle of towns. Only a few days since, 
during a severe gale, a kittiwake alighted in the street, just before 
my door, and was caught by some very small children. It is also 
very fearless, and will attend on the fishing-boats so closely as to 
almost take the bait from the fishermen’s hands. A curious circum- 
stance happened to myself and some friends when on the water 
shooting some years since. A kittiwake being fired at and struck 
very hard by one of the party immediately dropped a fish, and, 
fluttering with difficulty away for about two hundred yards, settled 
on the water. We, of course, kept an eye on this gull, fully 
intending to pick itup; but, strange to say, a little time after, when 
every gun in the boat had been discharged at other gulls, to our 
great astonishment, up got the wounded kittiwake, and, flying 
slowly and deliberately towards our boat, stooped down and picked 
up the fish it had dropped close to the side, and flew steadily sea- 
wards until out of sight. I shall never forget the disappointed look 
OO 
