378 Ornithological Observations and Reflections in Shetland. 
place, with every intention of resettling itself there — as shown 
by the down-stretched legs, vibrating wings and general 
awkward poise of the body — was blown onward by the wind, 
when, relinquishing the effort, it would turn and sweep grace- 
fully away again, to make another attempt when it next came 
round, which was often equally insuccessful. In this manner, 
one or more compulsory flights were often added to the first 
one taken of the bird’s free will. Now as those birds which, 
equally of their own free will, circled thus continuously, yet 
passed, on the completion of every circle, over the place of 
assembly, turning each time and sweeping away again, just 
as the ones that had first unsuccessfully endeavoured to alight 
did, the only thing which differentiated them from these latter 
was that they made no such attempt, but passed directly on, 
flying a little higher. It seems therefore not unlikely that the 
voluntary act has grown out of the involuntary one, for it 
would be a natural thing for a bird which, having returned 
after its first circle, with the intention of alighting, felt itself 
being blown on, to give up the idea of doing so — to ‘ pass ” 
that time as it were, and take another circle — and from this, by 
a gradual transition the habit of circling several or a number 
of times, and so at last indefinitely without any recurrent 
wish to alight, might easily arise. Yet still, in the return to 
and re-passing over the rock from which the flight had com- 
menced, we should have an evidence of the original single 
sweep round and resettling at the end of it. 
In the case of the Shag, then, we have, as exhibited by 
different individual birds, and perhaps by the same individual 
at different times, these three distinct stages of progress, viz., 
the single short circling flight from the rock and return to it, 
the enforced repetition of such flight, owing to the wind (in 
which more or less willingness for it to be so enforced may be 
observed), and the more or less indefinite circling (without 
change of route) in which no idea of alighting is suggested to 
the bird’s mind simply by its passing above the rock it flew out 
from, and for no other reason. But there is a further stage, 
for, at last, upon the wind attaining a certain degree of violence, 
all the birds leave the rock, and their flight becomes continu- 
ous and sustained, without having any fixed location in space, 
with reference to the starting-point, though it i> still a circling 
one. But now, besides the Shag and such others as we have, 
let us imagine two as yet non-existant species of Cormorant, 
one of which is capable of soaring to a certain extent, especially 
when helped by upward currents of air, whilst t lie other soars 
as grandly as an eagle. Should we not then see, in these habits 
of the species in question, the origin of the soaring habit ? 
Having all the stages before us we could not, logically, avoid 
this conclusion, so that so simple a thing as a bird’s throwing 
Naturalist. 
