DOMESTIC HABITS OF RED-THROATED DIVER. 89 
4.45. The male, asI take it to be (the mother being still 
away) swims up the loch, with the one chick, to the little point, 
behind which it seems usual for the birds to rest. He dis- 
appears round it, then swims out again, and, to my great joy, 
both the chicks are now with him. The absent one, it seems, 
must have been resting there, alone; I had feared that some 
evil had befallen him, that he had fallen a prey to some gull. 
In a minute or two the male passes again round the point, with 
his chicks, but very soon they are all three out again, and 
swimming down the loch. 
Just on 5. All three have now disappeared without my 
noticing where they went, but I think they must still be at the 
nearer end of the loch. I would fain know whether the nest is 
round the little point where the birds rest, but cannot find this 
out without disturbing them. 
As yet, then, both these young Divers are safe. I noted 
the threatening action of a Gull towards one of them. Yester- 
day, and, to-day, a Great Black-backed has made several nasty- 
looking stoops towards the one chick that was then on the 
water. He varied this by flying over to a young Gull that was 
crossing the loch, and making the same demonstration, so 
that, at last, the latter stopped paddling, and seemed in fear— 
but ‘“‘it passed.””’ Why did it pass? The young Gull could 
have made no effective resistance, if attacked, and there was no 
parent there, to defend it—at least I could see none. The Gull 
seemed, as it were, to hint what he “‘ could do an’ if he would,” 
but the matter went—and from what I have observed generally 
does go—no farther. In view of the facility with which reasons 
for destroying any species are coined and administered, I can- 
not lay too much stress on this. The bark of these Gulls is, 
indeed, much worse—at least much more frequent—than their 
bite. Sometimes, no doubt—as I have seen--they do kill a 
young bird or so, the proper and philosophical answer to which 
is: “Let them.” It is horribly amateurish and mistaken to 
seek to interfere between one wild species and another. Only 
let man, himself, stand aside, and all will be well. 
At 5.9 the trio that have been, all this while, resting unseen, 
reappear from behind the point, and swim down the loch, and 
at 5.23 they swim up, and disappear round it again. 
