own, display this niode of flight to perfection. It is worth 

 going far to see a gannet dive. Travelling at a relatively 

 considerable height, and eagerly scanning the surface of the 

 water for signs of a shoal of fish, this amazing bird dives with 

 the speed of lightning, and with half-spread wings disappears 

 with a terrific plunge beneath the surface, to emerge, an 

 instant later, with his prey. One can measure the force of 

 such a plunge by the cruel trick, sometimes played by fisher- 

 men, of fastening a herring to a board, and setting it adrift 

 where gannets are about. The unsuspecting victim descends 

 as usual upon his prey, only to meet instant death by the 

 shock of his impact with the board. Those who talk glibly 

 of identifying birds by their flight may point to this wonderful 

 diver as a case in point. But while one may often see the 

 gannet on the wing, it is by no means so often that one will 

 have the good fortune to see him dive, for he is not always 

 hungry. His white body, pointed tail, and black quill- 

 feathers would then enable the novice to name him at once. 

 But — ^in his immature plumage, he would, at a little distance, 

 appear black, and unless he were fishing, the chances of 

 recognition would be by no means great. Close at hand he 

 would appear speckled with white. 



But this by the way. There are two other birds which 

 dive from a height on the wing. One of these is the king- 

 fisher : the other is the tern. The term " tern " is here used 



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