2570 Birds. 



fisherman, as with retracted neck, and eyes fixed on vacancy, he has stood for hours 

 without a single snap, motionless as a statue. Here, too, have I pursued the guille- 

 mot, or craftily endeavoured to cut off the retreat of the diver, by mooring my boat 

 across the narrow passage through which alone he could return to the open sea with- 

 out having recourse to his reluctant wings. Nor can I forget how often, during the 

 Siberian winter of 1838, when ' a whole gale,' as the sailors have it, has been blowing 

 from the north-east, I used to take up my position on the long and narrow ridge of 

 shingle which separated this paradise from the'raging waves without, and sheltered 

 behind a hillock of sea-weed, with my long duck-gun and a trusty double, or half 

 buried in a hole in the sand, I used to watch the legions of water-birds as they neared 

 the shore, and dropped distrustfully among the breakers, at a distance from the 

 desired haven, until, gaining confidence from accession of numbers, some of the bolder 

 spirits — the pioneers of the army — would flap their wings, rise from the white waves, 

 and make for the calm water. Here they come ! Already is the pied golden-eye 

 pre-eminent among the advancing party ; now the pochard, with his copper-coloured 

 head and neck, may be distinguished from the darker scaup-duck ; already the finger 

 is on the trigger, when, perhaps, they suddenly verge to the right and left, far beyond 

 the reach of my longest barrel, or, it may be, come swishing overhead, and leave a 

 companion or two struggling on the shingle or floating on the shallow waters of the 

 harbour." — page 8. 



The subjoined passage relating to the heronry at Parham is graphic and excellent, 

 and the effect is greatly enhanced by an admirable lithographic sketch of the scene 

 described. 



" Being anxious to examine the young birds, I selected one of the spruce firs, on 

 the summit of which was a heron's nest, and which appeared to command a view over 

 many other lower trees immediately adjoining, which were similarly occupied. The 

 only danger — if such it could be called — was in preserving a firm footing on the 

 brittle branches near the nest, nor can I say that I experienced a pleasing sensation 

 when the tall and narrow stem, already well loaded with the enormous, wide-spreading 

 fabric at the top, began to sway to and fro from my additional weight, as I endea- 

 voured, by walking out on one of the boughs immediately underneath, to outflank it 

 so far as to enable me to reach the edge, and while supporting myself with one hand, 

 partially explore its contents with the other. Having, however, succeeded in this, I 

 soon felt the decomposing and flattened bodies of two young herons, and above them the 

 warm plumage of a living bird, which did not appear to avoid the touch of my hand. 

 An effort with both arms now brought my face to a level with the nest, but I had 

 scarcely time to perceive that it contained a healthy and perfectly fledged young bird, 

 sitting complacently on the bodies of his defunct brethren, before he darted violently 

 at my eyes, although he had previously evinced no displeasure at the introduction of 

 my hand, and I was only able to protect them by bobbing my head suddenly, and 

 receiving the attack in a less vulnerable quarter. As if roused by the sudden exertion, 

 he then scrambled out of the nest to the extremity of an adjoining bough, from whence 

 — being unable to follow him — I endeavoured to shake him off, for a long time in 

 vain. The obstinacy with which he maintained his hold was extraordinary, and even 

 after losing his equilibrium, and hanging, head downwards, for a few moments, just as 

 I fancied he was about to drop, he clutched the branch more firmly than ever, and 

 writhing his elastic neck upwards, he seized a twig with his beak, which he held with 

 all the tenacity of a parrot. 1 therefore continued to shako the bough, and after per- 



