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BIRD-LIFE. 
all round while they pursue their sport, which consists 
almost exclusively of fishing. The smaller species alone 
feed principally on insects, grubs, &c.; the larger 
members of the family rarely take anything but fish, 
unless driven to do so by necessity. On this account, 
their vocation would appear to me to rank high. 
Among aquatic birds we possess, as we have before 
mentioned, a world rich alone in its diversity; from this 
it is almost self-evident that their vocations are equally 
various. On land, as on the water, each district alike is 
made the best use of. Some birds inhabit the shore, 
or reside within a short distance of the same; others, 
again, obtain their living on the surface, others beneath 
the waters; while some exist at the expense of their 
neighbours. 
Geese obtain their nourishment in the simplest 
manner of all. They chiefly feed on plants, and graze 
like mammals, or pick up scattered grain from the 
surface of the earth. Swans, too, feed on plants and 
grain, but are also fond of insects and molluscs, seeking 
these at the bottom of the water, that is to say, that they 
dive as far as the length of their neck will permit. 
The Flamingo (. Phoenicopterus ), which may be described 
as a stilted swan, feeds in a similar manner: its labours 
are generally performed wading, though occasionally 
when swimming; while stalking about in shallow water 
it ploughs the bottom with its colander-like bill. Ducks 
do more: they may be divided into non-diving and 
diving Ducks. The first feed amongst the surface- 
slime, with that well-known rapid motion of the beak so 
often observed in the common Duck when seeking 
insects and seeds; they likewise feed on many water- 
plants, and sometimes graze. Diving Ducks may be 
