Ornithological Observations and Reflections in Shetland. 375 
and every now and again drops head first into it, sometimes 
securing one, after the fashion of an amateur Tern — for he is 
not on a par with the latter bird, in skill, or, at any rate, in 
grace. 
A little before this, three Mergansers were swimming in 
these same shallow waters, but they, all at once, flew off, 
alarmed, as it would seem by some seals— also three in number 
— that came quite near to them, as close in shore, apparently, 
as themselves. After a time, these birds return and fish, 
sometimes within a yard or two of the edge of the sands, 
straining over the small though now rough waves, as they break 
all amongst the white water. Ever and anon they dive, and 
on two, if not three occasions have, on emerging, a small 
blackish object (as it looks, though I suppose it is a fish) in 
their bills. They may have been more uniformly successful 
than this suggests, but if so, must have swallowed the fish 
"under water. Whilst thus fishing, these Mergansers rarely 
dived with their characteristic action, which is similar to that 
of the Shag, though less pronounced. They kept dipping 
and ploughing the water in front of them, with their bills, and, 
in the midst of this, and often, as it would seem, in consequence 
of it, they would either go down with a mere sudden slap, or 
disappear informally (as described in the case of the Shag). 
Sometimes, before diving, they would make a sudden dart 
forward with extended head and neck, in pursuit of something 
which they had sighted. It thus seems evident that the head 
is dipped to enable the bird to sight its prey under water, before 
diving, and this greatly strengthens the probability that the 
same explanation holds good for the Shag. Strictly speaking, 
however, these Mergansers did not dip the head as a whole, 
but only those parts of it near to the base of the bill, which 
latter was always sunk. So, at least, it appeared to me, 
though I cannot understand how, in that case, the eyes were 
under water, as they must have been to be of any use to the 
bird. Probably they were just under it, but no more. 
The Whimbrel also — contrary to what one might expect — 
walks up to these rocks and probes their seaweed with his 
long, curved bill. A Heron, however, standing at their edge, 
in the water, seems merely to be pursuing his customary 
avocations as a fisher- — and soon he strikes. 
October gth.— This morning, I watched a female Eider 
Duck in one of the bays of a small island off the coast here. 
The way she rode, crested and danced on the waves where they 
were whited — they were all white to-day — was quite wonderful. 
A bob of the head, when they broke, was sufficient for her, 
without diving, but often — indeed in most cases, she did not 
even do this, but let the curled crest take her and plunge her 
into a hissing white chaos — a ‘ vexed Bermoothes ’ of foam 
1014 Dec. 1. 
