Birds. 4291 



gives additional instances. But by far the most valuable information 

 on this whole question has been just furnished us by the great 

 English hunter of the North (Mr. Lloyd), in his admirable work on 

 i Scandinavian Adventures,' (Loudon : Bentley ; 1854) : a work, which 

 coming from such a trustworthy source, and from such an outdoor and 

 thoroughly experienced observer, must be highly valued by all natu- 

 ralists and sportsmen, and the perusal of which (as it has given me a 

 great deal of pleasure, so) I strongly recommend to all who take 

 interest in the different branches of Zoology : and from which I shall 

 now take the liberty of making some considerable extracts. In the 

 second volume (the latter part of which is devoted to a brief but com- 

 prehensive account of the Scandinavian Ornithology), Mr. Lloyd 

 says, " It was mentioned in my former work, on the authority of Mr. 

 Greiff, that the woodcock, when her young are in jeopardy, will 

 grasp them with her feet, and fly away with them to a place of safety. 

 Swedish naturalists and others question the truth of this statement, 

 but it would seem without sufficient cause. Not to speak of the same 

 story being current and believed in England, my friend M. Otendahl, 

 in whose word I have full confidence, was an eye-witness to the fact. 

 ' Once during a hare-hunt,' he writes, ' I myself shot a woodcock, 

 flushed by the dogs, when flying at about six feet from the ground, 

 that was bearing an unfledged young one in her claws. It seemed to 

 me she grasped it by the wings ; one foot having hold of the one 

 wing, and the other foot of the other. Though in consequence of in- 

 tervening boughs, I did not observe the old bird when she rose, 

 I was fortunately so near to her as clearly to see what I have stated : 

 I afterwards found two other young ones under a neighbouring bush, 

 where they had retreated for shelter.'" A woodcut is added ex- 

 emplifying the above description. 



Again, other species convey their young on their " backs." Thus, 

 Mr. Waterton was told by the rock-climbers that the young guille- 

 mots descend safely to the ocean in this manner, and gave credit to 

 the statement, from seeing them when quite unable to fly, sporting on 

 the sea. Yarrell bears testimony to the same fact: and Mr. Bury 

 (Zool. 975) expresses his belief in it. Most people who have had 

 opportunity of watching the mute swan sailing on our lakes or rivers, 

 will have occasionally seen a cygnet carried on its parent's back : 

 and Yarrell tells us that he has " seen the female, by raising her leg, 

 assist the cygnets in getting up." The eider duck, too, is said 

 to carry her newly hatched brood on her back, and Mr. Lloyd says, 

 " From the elevated and broken nature of the ground where the cider 



