6796 Birds. 



that everlasting game of "heads and tails" that tries so sorely the 

 skill and patience of the anxious sportsman. I generally found Ihem 

 in parties of three, consisting of two old birds and a young one, easily 

 distinguished by its gray head, but occasionally lumps of eight or 

 ten appeared, which separated as soon as ever chase was given. The 

 extreme tenacity of life in these creatures, added to the great thickness 

 of their skins and feathers, renders big shot indispensable ; but even 

 then it is doubtful when a " wobble " (the classical name applied to 

 this species on the Devonshire coast) may be fairly considered bagged. 

 Sometimes a successful shot turns up a fine old bird, who floats 

 motionless on the water till the boatman pulls leisurely up to him. 

 You lean over the side to snatch your prize, when, holloa ! " Jack's 

 alive again," and as your empty fingers close over the ripple, where his 

 tail was last seen a gurgling croak comes back upon the ear with a sound 

 not unlike " Walker." Lucky, indeed, if, after your consternation at 

 such a scurvy trick, you ever get a second pop at your lively friend. 

 Nor are they always yours though actually in hand, for I once picked 

 one out of the water that I had just shot, and having no reason for 

 doubling that he was what he seemed to be — quite dead — I laid him 

 across one of the seats, on his back, by the side of the boat ; I then 

 began reloading and looking out for a fresh batch, when just as 1 had 

 pointed out a likely lot to the fisherman, I heard a flutter, and on 

 looking down was just in time to see the vanishing point of " wobble's" 

 tail, as he left my care for ever. It is not generally diflScult to obtain 

 a first shot at these birds, but as soon as they become alarmed they 

 commence diving most rapidly, keeping well together, coming up and 

 going down with the most perfect precision. The longer the chase lasts 

 the further they swim under water, coming up just to breathe, and 

 showing at times only their beaks above water, and, as a last resource, 

 they double back after diving and come up in quite another direction, 

 where you least expected. At these times the shooting is anything 

 but easy, from the violent motion of the boat, as the fisherman pulls 

 with all his might after the birds, whilst a head and neck only presents 

 a small mark to hit on the buoyant waves. Occasionally they dive 

 after receiving the shot, and leave you with the impression of a decided 

 " miss," when suddenly the bird floats up to the surface quite dead, 

 having kept under water as long as life remained. The old birds at 

 the end of March were in full plumage, the white line from the beak 

 to the eye very distinct, the iiides dark brown and the mouth inside 

 rich yellow. The young birds of the previous year were still very 

 gray on the sides of the head and round the throat, and the white line 



