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 bufmefs 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 ; fhould 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 paient birds fly away 
in different diredions, they foon drop, and afford a pleafmg 
fpe£lacle during the exertion of their wonderful inftinftive 
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 ofHces 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 pofTefs 
fo much of their original ftiynefs, that the common mode of 
detaining them, is by injuring one of their wings ; they feed 
principally on the fmall fry of fifh, not fufhciently bold to leave 
the fhqre, alfp on the fmaller kinds of fheU fifh, and fea- weed. 
