. The structure and life of birds . ng sociability, you should go to someout-of-the-way cliff or island where seabirds nest—pay a visit to a colony of Puffins, most naive, mostcomic of birds, sitting at the thresholds of theircrowded nestholes—see the Guillemots lining longledges that are perilously narrow for their eggs—seethe Razorbills, the Oystercatchers, the flocks of Kitti-wakes and all the other winged things of , perhaps, nothing of the kind that Great Britaincan show can equal the scene on some island in thePacific, where acres of land are clothed with graveAlbatrosses t
. The structure and life of birds . ng sociability, you should go to someout-of-the-way cliff or island where seabirds nest—pay a visit to a colony of Puffins, most naive, mostcomic of birds, sitting at the thresholds of theircrowded nestholes—see the Guillemots lining longledges that are perilously narrow for their eggs—seethe Razorbills, the Oystercatchers, the flocks of Kitti-wakes and all the other winged things of , perhaps, nothing of the kind that Great Britaincan show can equal the scene on some island in thePacific, where acres of land are clothed with graveAlbatrosses too busy with their eggs and their youngto think of flying away from men and cameras. Much may be learnt by shooting specimens, andif you either skin every bird you shoot, or pay forthe skinning, you are likely to avoid indiscriminateslaughter. Many people are not content with a field-glass ; they want more tangible results than it givesthem. And some birds will not stop to be looked at. xvii OUTDOOR AND INDOOR ORNITHOLOGY 399. 400 THE STRUCTURE AND LIFE OF BIRDS chap. The gun must play an important part in ornithologytill the world is far more depopulated of birds thanit is at present, though no reasonable ornithologistwill shoot a bird of a species that can with difficultymaintain itself and is in danger of extinction. More-over, rarity does not in itself add to the interest ofa bird. Great Auks, when plentiful, were just asinteresting as at the present day when there are onlya few dead specimens in museums. When shooting,you learn things that are not likely to come to yournotice otherwise. You see how vigorous a bird isafter his wing is broken ; a Cormorant, thus wounded,will dive and swim with undiminished activity. Ifyou swim after a bird you think you have hopelesslycrippled, he may lead you a terrible dance. Thereis no truth in the notion that a wounded bird neverrecovers. Brehm 1 says that he has often shot birdswhose wing bones had evidently been previouslyshatter
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