WATCHING SHAGS AND GUILLEMOTS 167 



whilst the bird is sitting thus upon the rock. Again, 

 a bird whilst standing, but not quite erect, will dart 

 his head forward and upward, and make with his 

 bill as though snapping at insects in the air. Then, 

 after a second or two, he will throw his head back 

 till it touches or almost touches the centre of his 

 back, and whilst at the same time opening and 

 shutting the beak, communicate a quick vibratory 

 motion to the throat. It looks as though he were 

 executing a trill or doing the tremulo so loved of 

 Italian singers, of which, however, there is no vocal 

 evidence. 



" When the male bird makes the great pompous hop 

 up to the female, and then, after the preliminaries 

 that I have described, falls prone in front of her, he is, 

 so to speak, at her feet; but by throwing his head 

 backwards he gets practically farther off, nor can he 

 well see her whilst staring up into the sky behind 

 him, which is what he appears to be doing. Thus 

 the first warmth of the situation is a little chilled, 

 and on the stage we should call it an uncomfortable 

 distance. The female shag seems to think so too, 

 for all that she does — that is to say, all that I have 

 then seen her do — is to stand and look about, conduct 

 which, as it is uninteresting, we may perhaps assume 

 to be correct. But when the antics begin, as one 

 may say, from the second figure, the male not rising 

 from his recumbent position (a quite usual one) on 

 the rock to make the first display, the bird towards 

 whom his attentions are directed will often be stand- 

 ing behind him, and it then appears as if he had 

 brought back his head in order to gaze up at her 

 con expressione. In this case she, on her part, will 



