NATURAL HISTORY of NOR WAY. 95 



The Strand Skade, which lives near the water, and feeds on 

 fnails and oyfters, has red legs, but no back-toe : this is fuppofed 

 to be the Haemantopus of Pliny. 



The Skarv, the Columbus, or Loon, is a pretty large Sea-Bird • skarv. 

 'tis larger than a Duck, and has legs and feet like them, excepting 

 that the outermoft toe is much longer than the reft : on all the toes 

 it has long, crooked, and ftiarp claws ; thefe, as alfo the whole body 

 of the Bird, are black ; the legs ftand further out on each fide, 

 than on the Duck or Goofe ; fo that they flraddle a great deal 

 wider: their neck, tail and wings are very long; on the top of 

 their neck there is a green bright feather. We have three kinds 

 of them ; the fir ft is called Top=Skarv> becaufe it has a tuft on 

 his head ; this does not come into the rivers, but keeps to the 

 outermoft iflands. The other fort are larger; and thefe are 

 diftmguifhed by a large white fpot, like a crown piece, on each 

 of their black thighs, which gives them the name of Huiidlaaring, 

 White Thighs. The third fort are without any fuch diftinclion * 

 but they are lefs than the^firft, and larger than the laft : this Bird 

 keeps near the fea on the fteepeft rocks % and lay three fnow- 

 white eggs like Goofe eggs ; they fit upon them, by turns, three 

 weeks : thefe eggs have this particular quality, that they cannot -be 

 boiled hard, but always remain liquid. The young are white at 

 firft; they don't grow black till after the third week; and 

 then they live with the old ones, which are mighty expert at 

 catching (mail fifh, and dive, as the fifhermen fay, very deep, even 

 2.0 or 30 fathoms, to fetch up all kind of fmall fifh, of which one 

 fometimes finds fuch a number in their craw when they are killed 

 that it is impoffible to conceive it ; and ftill more furprifino- it muft 

 appear, yet neverthelefs it is ftri&ly true, and ftands confirmed ' 

 by many that have made their obfervations, that tho' the Loon's 

 neck is long and {lender, and it would be difficult to thruft down 

 two fingers into it, yet the Bird can ftretch the mufculous parts 

 of his throat fo wide, as to fwallow a flounder half a foot 

 broad, fuch having been found in his ftomach. When the Loon 

 comes afhore he ftretches himfelf upon his legs againft the wind 

 that he may be thoroughly dried ; but as this feldom happens, 

 we call, in this country, any body that is wet, flovenly, and 

 difagreeable, a Loon ; or if they have their cloaths but feldom 

 dry, we fay, He is as wet as a Loon. 



* As thefe Birds harbour together in great numbers, the farmers ufe this piece of 

 art to catch them : in the evening, when they are al! got together, they take their 

 boats and row under thefe rocks, and make a large fire; the fudden heat and fmoak 

 intoxicates them, and they drop down in heaps, and are eafily killed, 



The 





