LIFE IN FOREIGN LANDS. 
411 
may kill over thirty in an hour, or more could he only 
load fast enough. The Sea-fowl come in such flocks as 
to darken the sky; Cormorants, true tenants of the ocean 
and skilful fishers, appear in thousands. Almost all the 
different species of Ducks observed in Germany are to be 
found here, flocking together, with others of their own, or 
allied, species, in such countless myriads as literally to 
cover the surface of the lagoon to the extent of a mile or 
more. Imperial Eagles, Vociferous Sea Eagles, Peregrine 
Falcons, and Fanners, as may well be supposed, frequent 
places so rich in game, and earn their daily meal with 
but little trouble. The mighty Imperial Eagle is the 
scourge of the Wild Geese and Flamingoes, which 
he seizes and overpowers with facility. The Sea Eagle 
sits motionless on the shore, carefully shunned alike by 
great and small. The Osprey, with its powerful talons, 
is looked upon with comparative indifference, owing to 
its attentions being exclusively directed to the finny tribe : 
it may be seen resting on a stone or stake ashore amongst 
the Ducks, without their ever troubling themselves in the 
least about its presence. The Falcon, on the contrary, 
spreads dismay around : dashing, like a flash of lightning, 
from above, it seizes its prey without the slightest diffi¬ 
culty from amongst the living crowd. Besides Ducks, 
every moist spot teems with marsh- and water-birds of 
all descriptions. Hundreds of Waders frequent the 
shores of the lake; occasional Godwits may be seen 
leading a troop of Plover; while our Peewit greets its 
spur-winged cousin with vociferous cries. A little deeper 
in the water stand the Avocets, in company with the 
equally long-legged Black-winged Stilts, .catching aquatic 
insects. Still deeper immersed in the flood may be seen 
the Spoonbill, with its shovel-like beak; and behind it, 
