1380 The Zoologist — September, 1868. 



never goes ashore, but lives on the wing or on the water. The female hut seeks land 

 to deposit and hatch her eggs, which are laid quite close to the edge of the water; the 

 youug take to it on extrusion. As long as the bird has a beaten path to guide her, 

 she can reach the water quickly; without such a guide she appears confused, though 

 water may be close in sight. They can never take wing from the land, though freely 

 from water. When unalarmed the female quietly works her body along the ground 

 by aid of the feet; when alarmed the carpi act as fore feet, the true feet being brought 

 forward along the sides of the body, and then being pressed outwards and backwards 

 lever the body forward in a surprising manner; they can spring by this means ten 

 feel; at an altitude of two feet the wings are of great aid. They never stand on their 

 toes like many sea and all laud fowl, nor on their feet like puffins, guillemots, &c, 

 but always when on land lie on the breast and belly; the feet are not kept lying 

 backwards under the tail, but before it, inclining outwards, the webs spread. I could 

 never keep divers alive, they wearing the feet away in a night by vainly endeavouring 

 to swim on the ground. They are fierce and sullen out of their true element, springing 

 like a dog at one the height of a man's head, merely by aid of the feet. The anatomy 

 of the feet is very beautiful, the texture most delicate: a glance at their organism will 

 show their propulsive power on water, their total uselessness on land. — //. Blahe-Knox ; 

 Itinerary, N.B., August 5, I86S. 



Blac/.throated Diver. — Tn answer to Mr. Hurvie Brown's query (Zool. S. S. 1320), 

 I have frequently observed the hlackthroated diver iu its breeding haunts in Scotland, 

 and have never seen it sitting or walking upright. The nests which I have seen have 

 been placed within a fool of the water — a mere depression in the turf, with a few 

 rushes very sparingly arranged over its surface, and generally two young. The nest 

 being so close to the water, the bird just shuffles or slides on its stomach into the 

 water, but I have not noticed its track very distinctly traced. The only time I have 

 observed it upright was when on the water flapping its wings; while doing so it 

 seemed to " tread water." It is a bird that is seldom seen on land. Concerning the 

 great northern diver (Zool. S. S. 1309) I may mention that two of my correspondents 

 have noticed this bird in two different localities in Scotland all through the summer, 

 but I have not myself heard of its nest beiug found. — Theodore C. Walker ; Woodside, 

 Leicester. 



Tortoises laying Eggs in Confinement. — A pair of tortoises were recently brought 

 here from the island of Scillv. They have been kept in a garden ever since their 

 arrival, and yesti rday it was discovered that the female had laid an egg. Is there any 

 instance on record of such in Britain? If not you are at liberty to make the announce- 

 ment iu your most valuable magazine, the 'Zoologist.' The egg is about the size of 

 a bantam hen's, but rounder in shape, and to appearance the shell is like that some- 

 times extruded by hens prematurely, only quite hard. — Mary Pine ; Portsoy, Banff- 

 shire, N.B., August 15, 1868. 



[The circumstauce of the box tortoise laying in confinement is very common in 

 England. — Edward Newman.~] 



A regular Visitor. — With regard to the land turtle which is said to visit Mr. 

 gnj ill's farm annually (Zool. S. S. 1321), the great probability is lhat it is constantly 

 esident on the property, that it hyhcrnalcs there, and makes its appearance about the 



