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or sometimes, if compelled by hunger, entering the voes. There 
it occasionally happens that the young coalfish have gathered 
in immense shoals, and in this case the Divers are in no hurry 
to return, continuing in the voe until the fish depart, and 
becoming so extremely fat as to be scarcely worth the trouble of 
preparing as specimens. Like all fish feeders, a Diver should 
be skinned as soon as possible, as it very soon spoils ; but in 
all cases and at all times unusually large quantities of tow or 
cotton and plaster of Paris are required in order to prevent the 
escape of fluids. 
Ovung to the extreme watchfulness of this bird, and to its 
wonderful powers of diving, specimens are by no means easily 
obtained by a person who has not had considerable experience 
of its habits. The most favourable chance is when it is feeding 
under rocks which are sufficiently irregular to afford conceal- 
ment to the shooter, who, it may be remarked, should in calm 
weather proceed very cautiously, or the bird perceive him 
from an almost incredible depth, and, instead of rising near 
the anticipated spot, appear quietly swimming away far out of 
shot seaward. In smooth water, a boat and its moving shadow 
can be seen from beneath the surface of the water for a consider- 
able distance, and hence the bird is most frequently dodged and 
shot during a breeze. The instant it perceives itself threatened 
with danger, it either sinks the body low in the water or 
entirely disappears, seldom emerging before it has traversed a 
distance of a hundred yards, or perhaps even five times that 
space, according to its idea of the extent of the danger. When 
once it has become thoroughly alarmed, further pursuit is gene- 
rally hopeless, unless it happens to cross the track of the boat, as 
it will do occasionally, instead of proceeding in a line directly 
from it. When the bird chooses any other course than its 
favourite one, directly to windward, a boat under sail in a stiff 
breeze will sometimes overtake it, but such a chance is rarely 
met with. Before its habits were so well known to me as 
they now are, I used to pursue it in a four-oared boat, but 
always unsuccessfully ; lately, however, I have been able to 
