OBSERVATIONS ON BIRDS 
277 
intended as a mode of security ; though long rendered destructive 
to the whole race of gallinae by the invention of nets and guns. 
White. 
Of the great boldness and rapacity of birds of prey when urged on 
by hunger, I have seen several instances ; particularly, when shooting 
in the winter in company with two friends, a woodcock flew across us, 
closely pursued by a small hawk : we all three fired at the woodcock 
instead of the hawk, which, notwithstanding the report of three guns 
close by it, continued its pursuit of the woodcock, struck it down, and 
carried it off, as we afterwards discovered. 
At another time, when partridge-shooting with a friend, we saw a 
ring-tail hawk rise out of a pit with some large bird in its claws ; 
though at a great distance ; we both fired and obliged it to drop its 
prey, which proved to be one of the partridges which we were in pur- 
suit of ; and lastly, in an evening, I shot at and plainly saw that I had 
wounded a partridge, but it being late, was obliged to go home without 
finding it again. The next morning I walked round my land without 
any gun, but a favourite old spaniel followed my heels. When I came 
near the field where I wounded the bird the evening before, I heard the 
partridges call, and seeming to be much disturbed. On my approach- 
ing the bar-way, they all rose, some on my right, and some on my left 
hand ; and just before and over my head, I perceived (though indis- 
tinctly from the extreme velocity of their motion) two birds fly directly 
against each other, when instantly, to my great astonishment, down 
dropped a partridge at my feet ; the dog immediately seized it, and on 
examination, I found the blood flow very fast from a fresh wound in 
the head, but there was some dry clotted blood on its wings and side ; 
whence I concluded that a hawk had singled out my wounded bird as 
the object of his prey, and had struck it down the instant that my 
approach had obliged the birds to rise on the wing ; but the space 
between the hedges was so small, and the motion of the birds so 
instantaneous and quick, that I could not distinctly observe the 
operation. — Markwick. 
GREAT SPECKLED DIYER, OR LOOK 
As one of my neighbours was traversing Wolmer forest from Bram- 
shot across the moors, he found a large uncommon bird fluttering in 
the heath, but not wounded, which he brought home alive. On 
examination it proved to be colymbus glacialis, Linn., the great 
speckled diver or loon, which is most excellently described in 
Willughby-'s Ornithology. 
Every part and proportion of this bird is so incomparably adapted 
to its mode of life, that in no instance do we see the wisdom of God 
in the creation to more advantage. The head is sharp and smaller than 
the part of the neck adjoining, in order that it may pierce the water; 
the wings are placed forward, and out of the centre of gravity, for a 
purpose which shall be noticed hereafter ; the thighs quite at the podex, 
in order to facilitate diving; and the legs are flat, and as sharp 
