﻿432 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  intercept 
  a 
  gunner 
  who 
  was 
  approaching 
  us 
  along 
  the 
  shore, 
  and 
  who, 
  

   we 
  were 
  afraid, 
  would 
  seal 
  the 
  poor 
  bird's 
  fate 
  before 
  it 
  could 
  swim 
  out 
  

   of 
  gunshot 
  range. 
  Happily, 
  however, 
  fully 
  eighty 
  yards 
  of 
  water 
  were 
  

   traversed 
  ere 
  the 
  shooter 
  arrived 
  opposite 
  it, 
  and, 
  by 
  diverting 
  his 
  

   attention, 
  we 
  managed 
  to 
  get 
  him 
  to 
  pass 
  by 
  the 
  bird 
  without 
  observing 
  

   it. 
  Next 
  we 
  directed 
  our 
  gaze 
  seawards, 
  and 
  descried 
  the 
  Oystercatcher 
  

   as 
  a 
  small 
  dark 
  object 
  bobbing 
  up 
  and 
  down 
  on 
  the 
  waves 
  some 
  two 
  

   hundred 
  yards 
  from 
  the 
  shore. 
  We 
  expected 
  it 
  would 
  reach 
  a 
  sand- 
  

   bank 
  about 
  to 
  be 
  laid 
  bare 
  by 
  the 
  ebbing 
  tide 
  ; 
  instead 
  of 
  this, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  it 
  retraced 
  its 
  coarse, 
  and 
  headed 
  for 
  the 
  beach, 
  swimming 
  

   strongly 
  against 
  the 
  tide. 
  Seeking 
  ambush 
  amid 
  the 
  rushes 
  of 
  the 
  

   sand-dunes, 
  we 
  watched 
  the 
  bird 
  swim 
  in. 
  Directly 
  it 
  landed 
  I 
  rushed 
  

   after 
  it 
  barefooted 
  (lest 
  the 
  bird 
  might 
  take 
  to 
  the 
  water 
  a 
  second 
  

   time), 
  and, 
  after 
  an 
  exciting 
  chase 
  along 
  the 
  shore, 
  succeeded 
  in 
  cap- 
  

   turing 
  it. 
  On 
  examination 
  the 
  bird 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  beautiful 
  adult 
  in 
  

   fine 
  plumage, 
  and 
  only 
  slightly 
  injured 
  in 
  the 
  right 
  wing. 
  Curiously 
  

   enough, 
  the 
  rich 
  crimson 
  pigment 
  was 
  absent 
  over 
  a 
  small 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  

   iris, 
  giving 
  to 
  the 
  pupil 
  an 
  irregular 
  and 
  rather 
  jagged 
  outline. 
  This 
  

   condition 
  was 
  symmetrical 
  in 
  both 
  eyes. 
  In 
  the 
  afternoon 
  I 
  took 
  the 
  

   bird 
  to 
  the 
  Dublin 
  Zoological 
  Gardens, 
  where, 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  hoped, 
  it 
  will 
  

   have 
  a 
  happy 
  time, 
  and 
  end 
  its 
  days 
  in 
  peace. 
  I 
  noticed 
  that 
  the 
  wing 
  

   had 
  healed 
  considerably, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  had 
  probably 
  been 
  living 
  a 
  

   week 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  a 
  disabled 
  condition 
  on 
  the 
  beach 
  before 
  I 
  captured 
  it. 
  

   The 
  wonder 
  is 
  how 
  it 
  escaped, 
  as 
  wounded 
  birds 
  have 
  to 
  run 
  the 
  

   gauntlet 
  of 
  being 
  attacked 
  by 
  many 
  enemies 
  — 
  Man, 
  Dogs, 
  Hawks, 
  

   Skuas, 
  and 
  the 
  larger 
  Sea-Gulls. 
  For 
  instance, 
  during 
  the 
  short 
  time 
  

   that 
  we 
  saw 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  water 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  screaming 
  Herring-Gulls 
  passed 
  

   over 
  it 
  ; 
  their 
  cries 
  attracted 
  a 
  Great 
  Black-backed 
  Gull, 
  which 
  made 
  

   a 
  few 
  nasty 
  swoops 
  at 
  the 
  poor 
  Oystercatcher. 
  Indeed, 
  I 
  doubt 
  if 
  the 
  

   latter 
  would 
  have 
  reached 
  the 
  shore 
  alive 
  had 
  not 
  a 
  few 
  Herring-Gulls 
  

   mobbed 
  the 
  assailant, 
  driving 
  him 
  off 
  with 
  angry 
  threats. 
  It 
  is 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  directly 
  after 
  the 
  Gulls 
  cleared 
  away 
  the 
  

   Oystercatcher 
  began 
  to 
  swim 
  for 
  the 
  shore. 
  Question 
  : 
  Could 
  the 
  

   bird 
  have 
  apprehended 
  further 
  danger 
  on 
  the 
  water, 
  or 
  was 
  it 
  simply 
  

   exhaustion 
  that 
  drove 
  it 
  ashore, 
  or 
  both 
  ? 
  I 
  may 
  add 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  

   repeatedly 
  seen 
  several 
  species 
  of 
  Limicoline 
  birds 
  swim, 
  generally, 
  but 
  

   not 
  always, 
  to 
  escape 
  danger, 
  and 
  usually 
  for 
  shorter 
  distances 
  than 
  

   the 
  above 
  instance 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  recorded. 
  — 
  C. 
  J. 
  Patten 
  (University 
  

   College, 
  Sheffield). 
  

  

  The 
  Red-throated 
  Diver 
  (Colymbus 
  septentrionalis). 
  — 
  AH 
  Irish 
  

   ornithologists, 
  and 
  especially 
  those 
  who 
  take 
  an 
  interest 
  in 
  our 
  rare 
  

  

  