﻿28 
  TEE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  pair 
  of 
  old 
  birds 
  with 
  two 
  young 
  in 
  down 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  old. 
  

   When 
  the 
  old 
  birds 
  caught 
  sight 
  of 
  us 
  they 
  ran 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  

   and 
  then 
  rose 
  ; 
  the 
  young 
  ones 
  scuttled 
  away 
  at 
  a 
  great 
  pace 
  

   towards 
  the 
  river, 
  which 
  at 
  low 
  water 
  was 
  perhaps 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  

   away 
  across 
  the 
  sands. 
  It 
  was 
  only 
  after 
  a 
  smart 
  chase 
  across 
  

   the 
  wet 
  sand 
  that 
  we 
  managed 
  to 
  come 
  up 
  with 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  

   birds. 
  When 
  hard 
  pressed 
  the 
  little 
  creature 
  elevated 
  its 
  downy 
  

   wings 
  to 
  assist 
  it 
  in 
  flight 
  ; 
  it 
  doubled 
  and 
  turned 
  this 
  way 
  and 
  

   that 
  with 
  such 
  rapidity 
  that 
  we 
  had 
  the 
  greatest 
  difficulty 
  in 
  

   securing 
  it. 
  As 
  it 
  ran 
  across 
  the 
  sand 
  in 
  the 
  sun's 
  eye, 
  it 
  was 
  

   almost 
  invisible 
  from 
  a 
  little 
  distance, 
  and 
  we 
  lost 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  

   other 
  altogether. 
  The 
  old 
  birds 
  meanwhile 
  flew 
  round 
  us 
  with 
  

   guttural 
  cries 
  of 
  alarm, 
  but 
  they 
  made 
  no 
  attempt 
  to 
  lure 
  us 
  

   away 
  by 
  feigning 
  injury. 
  Six 
  young 
  Sheld-Ducks 
  in 
  down, 
  

   rather 
  older 
  than 
  these 
  two, 
  were 
  swimming 
  on 
  the 
  lagoon 
  

   behind 
  the 
  embankment 
  at 
  Malldraeth 
  Yard. 
  A 
  passing 
  man 
  

   sent 
  his 
  dog 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  catch 
  them, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  

   an 
  hour 
  the 
  dog 
  swam 
  gamely 
  after 
  the 
  little 
  birds. 
  The 
  party 
  

   scattered 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  dog 
  approached, 
  and 
  whenever 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  ducklings 
  was 
  in 
  danger 
  of 
  being 
  caught, 
  it 
  would 
  dive 
  and 
  

   come 
  up 
  again 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  away. 
  The 
  dog 
  then 
  turned 
  its 
  atten- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  the 
  nearest 
  duckling 
  which 
  was 
  swimming, 
  and 
  failed 
  to 
  

   capture 
  it 
  in 
  just 
  the 
  same 
  way. 
  The 
  birds 
  kept 
  to 
  the 
  open 
  

   water, 
  and 
  never 
  swam 
  into 
  the 
  weeds 
  or 
  shallows 
  ; 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  

   time 
  the 
  dog 
  began 
  to 
  show 
  signs 
  of 
  fatigue. 
  When 
  its 
  master 
  

   called 
  it 
  out 
  it 
  was 
  exhausted, 
  but 
  the 
  ducklings 
  were 
  apparently 
  

   quite 
  fresh. 
  When 
  we 
  passed 
  the 
  place 
  a 
  little 
  later 
  the 
  old 
  

   ones 
  were 
  swimming 
  with 
  their 
  brood 
  ; 
  neither 
  of 
  them 
  had 
  

   come 
  near 
  while 
  the 
  dog 
  was 
  chasing 
  the 
  little 
  ones. 
  We 
  had 
  

   no 
  means 
  of 
  ascertaining 
  if 
  the 
  old 
  birds 
  purposely 
  kept 
  away 
  ; 
  

   possibly 
  they 
  did, 
  their 
  instinct 
  teaching 
  them 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  

   young 
  are 
  on 
  the 
  water, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  so 
  well 
  able 
  to 
  take 
  care 
  

   of 
  themselves, 
  no 
  serious 
  danger 
  can 
  menace 
  them. 
  In 
  this 
  

   case 
  the 
  little 
  birds 
  were 
  never 
  in 
  any 
  real 
  danger. 
  

  

  On 
  May 
  24th 
  we 
  saw 
  two 
  drake 
  Shovelers 
  on 
  the 
  llyns 
  by 
  the 
  

   old 
  coal-workings 
  on 
  the 
  marsh 
  near 
  Gaerwen, 
  where 
  we 
  had 
  

   seen 
  the 
  species 
  before. 
  Herons 
  are 
  abundant 
  in 
  this 
  district, 
  

   in 
  contrast 
  with 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  where 
  we 
  saw 
  

   very 
  few. 
  On 
  June 
  12th 
  eleven 
  birds, 
  old 
  and 
  young, 
  were 
  

   standing 
  with 
  many 
  Black-headed 
  Gulls 
  in 
  a 
  tidal 
  creek 
  by 
  the 
  

  

  