Page:Sea and River-side Rambles in Victoria.djvu/56

37 carcase which is floating. When in search of food they sustain themselves, as many of our readers may have observed, by a quivering motion of the wings, now and then touching the water with their feet,—they swim well but cannot dive: then we have that splendid fellow the Swallow-tailed Tern, with his long red bill, jet black pate, and pale dove-colored wings, darting down into the sea after his prey with unerring accuracy and the rapidity of an arrow. Tripping nimbly along to the water's edge is the elegant little Dotterel, one of the most graceful of our sea-shore birds, and occasionally the Penguin will glide out from shelter of some seaweed bank; the Ibis is a common visitor to the Hopkins, as is also the splendid Australian Pelican, whose wings expand to a width of eight feet; the White-headed Fish-hawk or Osprey too may often be seen lurking about the rocks, feeding on some fine fish, captured by means of his spine-covered feet; the Cormorant frequents the rivers near the sea, and it will afford the sea-side stroller much and lasting pleasure to carefully watch the habits of any one of them, which he may easily do by concealing himself behind any low scrub or rock that presents itself.