1891. 
July 12
(No 3)
England.
Tintagil. - The Missel Thrushes were shy and acted
much like Flickers (Colaptes) when in similar places,
rising from behind rocks and taking short flights
characterized by intermittent, whirring flapping and
loop-like undulating sweeps on set wings. Indeed
I took the first for a Green Woodpecker until I
got my glass fairly on it.
  By picking my way down a steep, grassy
slope I secured a position on the edge of a
low cliff where Puffins, Murres & Razor-bills 
were breeding in considerable numbers. Not only
were they continually flying up to and down from
the crevices in the rocks but best of all many
were constantly engaged in fishing almost directly
beneath me. With the aid of my glass I could
easily follow any bird which I chose to select
during the entire time which it remained under
water. Its course downward was usually slightly
curving with at least one sharp turn thus:
[drawing]  After descending thirty or forty feet it
would dart about in zig-zag courses
or perhaps describe a great circle finally
coming to the surface again either by a
long slant or along a single or double curved
line very like that taken in the descent.
From the time it left the surface to its return
the wings were moved incessantly precisely as
in ordinary flight and it moved through
the water nearly as swiftly as if flying but
with a more jerky motion which reminded me
of that of our oared water spider. Sometimes