BRITISH BIRDS. 143 
former are bound up by the ice. No cold or damp 
can penetrate their thick clofe plumage, which 
looks as it were glazed on the furface, and by 
which they are enabled, while they have open wa- 
ter, to brave the rigours of the coldeft winter. 
They can take wing from the water, or drop from 
an eminence, and fly with great fwiftnefs to a con- 
fiderable diftance ; but, when they happen to alight 
on the land, are very helplefs, for they cannot ei- 
ther rife from the flat furface of the ground, or 
make much progrefs in walking upon it. On fhore 
they fit with the body eredt, commonly upon the 
whole length of their legs, and, in attempting to 
regain the water, they aukwardly waddle forward 
in the fame pofition ; and if, by any interruption, 
they happen to fall on the belly, they fprawl with 
their feet, and flap their fliort wings as if they were 
wounded, and may eafily be taken by the hand, 
for they can make no other defence than by ftrik- 
ing violently with their fliarp-pointed beak. They 
live upon hfn, and, it is faid, alfo upon frefli-water / 
roots and fea-weeds. They are generally very fat 
and heavy in proportion to their fize. 
The females generally build their nefts in the holes 
of the rocky precipices which overhang the fea- 
fliores ; and thofe which breed on lakes, make theirs 
of withered reeds and ruflies, &c. and fix it among 
the growing (talks of a tuft or bufh of fuch like 
