Its bill, and makes a meal of the contents : the young ones 
are eafily tamed, and may be brought up with domeftic poultry ; 
they are very ufeful in a garden, as they deftroy all kinds of 
worms, flugs, caterpillars, and fnails, the fhell of the latter they 
perforate at one ftroke with their bill, and extra£l the animal 
in an inftant. Their fiefh is exceedingly rank and ofFenfive to the 
fmell, it is covered with a thick coat of fat immediately under 
the {kin ; they are very common in our London markets ; we 
prefume they are brought there more as articles of curiofity 
than food, the flefh being fo remarkably rancid and bitter, we 
conceive it hardly pofTible that any thing fliort of neceffity 
could induce any one to eat it. 
Thefe birds are conftant inhabitants of the fea-fhore, in the 
winter they may be feen in fmall flocks, and are then very 
fhy, they are feldom obferved in pairs except in the breeding, 
feafon ; the female lays four or five eggs of a greenifh colourj^ 
fpotted with black, in an open dry fituation, generally behind 
a tuft or ftone, fomewhat above high-water mark ; fhe leaves 
the eggs entirely during the day, but is careful to fit on them 
clofely at night ; the young run about almoft as foon as hatched. 
They prefer wading in fhallow places out of the ftream, but 
jfhould they be overtaken by the current and get into deep 
water, they do not attempt to fwim, but will float therein for 
a confiderable time, amufing themfelves during their voyage, 
by feeding on any kind of fea-weed that may come within 
their reach. Like moft pied birds, they are not conftantiy 
marked alike, in fome the wings are nearly white, in others 
black, and in one inftance, we have feen the bird with fcarcelv 
a white feather about it. 
