approach to alarm him, he utters a piercing cry and takes 



wing ; unlefs difturbed, he feldom leaves the vicinity of the 



neft but when prefled by hunger ; when the female leaves 



to procure food, the male immediately takes her place, and 



will remain fitting during her abfence ; inftances have been 



known (where the female has been deftroyed) that the male 



bird has taken on itfelf the important bufinefs of incubation, 



and has fucceeded in rearing its offspring. 



•'♦ *» 

 The neft is ufually in the vicinity of falt-water (though 



they fometimes breed in the fens) to which they lead their 

 young as foon as hatched, frequently conveying them in their 

 bills ; mould any interruption take place during their removal 

 from the neft to the water, the young brood couch down 

 behind the firft tuft or hillock, and the parent birds fly away 

 in different directions, they foon drop, and afford a pleafmg 

 fpectacle during the exertion of their wonderful inftinclive 

 powers, in endeavouring by various artifices to divert the 

 intruder from their neft, much in the fame way as already de- 

 fcribed in the partridge ; when the alarm has fubfided, they 

 return to their offspring, to renew the tender offices of paren- 

 tal care : the young keep together till after the firft moulting. 



Their natural haunts being the fhores of the ocean, they 

 are very reftlefs in confinement ; when domefticated they poffefs 

 fo much of their original fhynefs, that the common mode of 

 detaining them, is by injuring one of their wings ; they feed 

 principally on the fmall fry of fifh, not fufficiently bold to leave 

 the fhore, alfo on the fmaller kinds of fhell fifh, and fea- weed, 



