Birds. 2295 



with its tarsus and foot pushing upon the surface, and all the while flapping violently 

 and rapidly its diminutive wings, it dragged itself, as it were, over all the pebbles and 

 intervening obstacles ; and, on reaching the sea, dived with the rapidity of an arrow 

 amid the waves, and quickly reappeared far off from the shore. The red-throated 

 diver (Colymbus septentrionalis), but without this generally characteristic mark, either 

 owing to age or to the particular season, is also frequently to be seen in the bay, and 

 is known by the name of the ' loom ' or ■ loon.' He fishes alone, and when he is thus 

 employed, and when the sea is running high, he invariably awaits the approach of the 

 gigantic wave ; and as it appears about to break upon him, he quietly makes his dive 

 beneath it: having done this with the most graceful ease, he comes up again in a spot 

 where the water is at the moment calm. 



During a severe and continued storm, I once saw on the river a specimen of the 

 tufted duck (Fuligula cristata). His crest or tuft appeared conspicuous, hanging down 

 his neck like the plumes of some of the herons : he kept to the middle of the stream, 

 swam rapidly, and would not be made to take to flight. Unless on this one occasion, 

 I never saw this species of duck upon the river. Once also, and only once, a single 

 specimen was observed of the pintail duck (Anas acuta) : it was in a flock of mallards, 

 and continued to associate with them for several days. 



It is proper to remark, that the portion of the Dovern to which the foregoing ob- 

 servations principally apply, is that which flows within the park of Duff House, the 

 seat of the Earl of Fife. As his lordship does not permit the birds within his grounds 

 to be fired at or molested, there is in consequence a more favourable opportunity than 

 usual for becoming acquainted with the habits and evolutions by which they are 

 respectively characterized. 



James Smith. 



Manse of Monquhitter by Turriff, Aberdeenshire, 

 October 2, 1848. 



Local Lists of Birds. — No contributions to the 'Zoologist' have afforded me 

 greater pleasure than the local lists of birds, and yet some of these have contained a 

 great amount of repetition. With great deference to the judgment of my ornitholo 

 gical readers, I beg to call their attention to the plan I have adopted in the Appendix 

 to the letters of Rusticus for obviating this difficulty ; and although I must refer them 

 to the book itself to see whether the plan I propose is capable of reduction to practice, 

 yet I will here just give an outline of the plan itself. I find that in the neighbour- 

 hood of Godalming 201 species of birds have been killed or seen : 89 of these build 

 their nests and bring up their young every year, — and this as a matter of certainty, 

 not of accident, — and I therefore consider the whole of these to be natives; but still 

 they may be divided into two minor groups, first, those which after the breeding-season 

 still remain, thus being residents, — these are 58 in number ; and secondly, those which 

 leave the district in the autumn, being migrants, — these are 31 in number. All other 

 birds are visitors, and these amount to 112 ; of which number 29 come earlier or later 

 in the autumn, stay during the winter, and leave in the spring ; of course they do not 

 breed ; these are winter visitors : one bird only, the ring ouzel, visits the district regu- 

 larly in spring and autumn when on his passage; this is a passing visitor : and no less 



