Page:The Zoologist, 3rd series, vol 1 (1877).djvu/518

492 a salt-water tub occasionally, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He slept a great deal during the day, and usually got behind an open door—the darkest place he could find—for his "siesta." When I took him from the nest he was nearly able to fly, but still retained the long nestling-down of the young bird, slate-coloured on the head and shoulders, light brown on the under parts; the former soon rubbed off, but the latter was more permanent, and was not got rid of for some days. The nests were simple holes in the face of the rock—my bird had barely room to turn round in his. There was no unpleasant smell about the nests or young birds, the peculiar—and to me not disagreeable—odour of the Shearwater tribe being alone distinguishable by its presence, l.saw nothing of the old birds, who were in all probability far out at sea at the time. An egg of this species, kindly presented to me by Mr. Bartram, is, of course, pure white: it has a considerable polish, and is about the size of a bantam's, but less elongated in form. Mr. Bartram was good enough also to present me with two skins of the adult bird. He tells me that the statement made by the old historians of Bermuda as to the capture of the "Cahow" at night is no exaggeration; for, on visiting an island one night where there were several pairs breeding, he quickly caught half-adozen of them, the stupid things settling on his body as he lay on the ground, and allowing themselves to be taken in his hand! I know of only one instance of a "Cahow" being seen on the wing in the daytime in Bermudian waters: this was in August, 1874, when one was shot crossing Castle Harbour, by Lieut. Hopegood, 97th Regiment.

Podiceps cornutus, Horned Grebe.—One shot by Dr. Cole, on the 24th November, 1846, is now in the Rev. H. B. Tristram's collection. One was killed by Capt. Tolcher, 56th Regiment, near Spanish Point, on the 1st February, 1855: it was in company with three or four others, Mr. Bartram has two specimens of different dates.

Podilymbus podiceps, Pied-billed Grebe; Water Witch.—Three are recorded in 'The Naturalist in Bermuda'—two obtained in October, 1849, and one by Major Wedderburn, in February, 1850. Mr. Hurdis once found a perfect skeleton of this bird by the side of a pond. Tolerably abundant in the winter of 1874–5, especially at Trott's and Basden's Ponds. The way in which these birds can sink under water, without leaving a ripple behind, is truly