The Bird Watcher in the Shetlands/Index

by Edmund Selous

⁠INDEX

 

⁠A

Ambition, a strange, 323

Animals, Memory of, as compared with that of man, 107, 108

— Wild, not appreciated, 138, 139

— Philistine nomenclature of, 152–4

— Sensuous pleasures of, underestimated, 252

— Happiness of, as compared with that of savages, 256, 257

— Choice of, in regard to one another a necessity, 281–3

— Cries of, false value often attached to, 306, 307

— Minds of some people in strange state about, 307

— Wild, hearts of, seldom explored, 323

— Have no rights, 348

Appeal against God, an, 333

Arctic Skua, Persecution of terns by, 9–13; not always successful in chase of, 10

— Suggested origin of piracy practised by, 11, 12

— Threatened attack of, rarely made, 10; possible reason of this, 10, 11

— Does not hawk at fish, 9

— Baffled by rock-pipit, 10, 160

— Will leave fish that drops on the sea, 11, 12

— May be pirate or highwayman, 13; possible process of differentiation in this respect, 13

— Loves brigandage, 14: and plays at it, 14

— Wild cry of, 14, 161, 162

— Grace, beauty, etc., of, 14

— Variety of coloration exhibited by, 15–25

— Description of fifteen differently coloured forms of, 15–20

Arctic Skua, Is multimorphic rather than dimorphic, 21

— Young resembles the great skua in plumage, 22; and also in wanting the lance-like feathers of the tail, 22, 23; these facts probably due to sexual selection, 22–5

— Might knock one's hat off under certain circumstances, 94, 151

— Puffin robbed by, 133

— Its absurd prenomen, 152

— Bathing habits of, 160, 161

— Chases ravens, 191; its different cry whilst so doing, 191

— Black guillemot robbed by, 302, 303

— Piracies of, may be turned to account by herring-gull, 302, 303

⁠B

Bacon in frying-pan, companionship afforded by, 3

Bathing, Possible passing of, into an antic in some aquatic birds, 199–201

Bats, Aerial performances of, 134; compared with those of swifts, 134

Birds, Possible loss and reacquirement of the power of flight by some, 7

— "Of a feather flock together," 7

— Segregation of the sexes of, in, 7

— British, process of change and differentiation of, in, 44; advantage of collecting evidence in regard to this, 44, 46

— Possible origin of some antics in, 70, 71

— Sometimes very rude, 173

— Want of uniformity in the actions of, 174

Black Guillemot, Breeds in the Shetlands, 57

Black Guillemot, Its habit of carrying fish for long time in bill, 68

— Manner of swallowing fish of, 69

— Fighting of the, 69; may be passing into a sport, 70, 71; will fight with fish in the bill, 71, 72

— Wings only used by, in diving, 72

— Luminous appearance of, under water, 72, 204

— Manner of feeding young of, 72, 73

— Cry of, 128

— Coloration of buccal cavity of, 128, 129; suggested explanation of, 129–31

— Eats seaweed, 203

— Wing-patches of, conspicuous under water, 203

— Carries one fish at a time, 301, 302

— Robbed by arctic skua, 302

Black-headed Gull, Relations of, with peewit, 10

Books, The hundred best, 110

Brodby, Mrs., Missed as a landlady, 190, 191

— Pious hope in regard to, 191

⁠C

Cheltenham Corporation, Ducks done away with by the, at Pittville, 65–7

Christianity, Mock trials as between, and paganism, by prejudiced Christian authors, 256

Collector, the, Does more harm than the sportsman, 144, 145

— Goal of the, extermination, 145

— The biggest-record Thug, 145

— His love of Nature, 145

Common Gull, is like common sense, 13

— Makes best resistance to arctic skua, 13, 14

— A young Christian nationality, 14

Common Seals seen leaping out of the water, 57, 58

— Luminous appearance of, under water, 175, 204

— Manner of swimming under water of, 175

— A splendid sight of, 213

— As seen under different circumstances, 213, 214

— Unorthodox attitudes of, 214, 226, 227

— Odd actions of, 214, 215, 227

Common Seals, Animals of a finely-touched spirit, 215

— Playing with a spar, 216

— Practical joking of, 217, 322

— A dormitory of, 225, 226

— Difference in size, etc., of, 229

— Sentinels not posted by, 229, 304, 305, 306

— Resemblance of, to a man, 230

— At the chosen rock, 231, 259

— Bed-times of, not governed by the tide, 234

— Perpendicular attitude of, in water, 257, 297, 298

— Length of submersions of, 257, 258

— Habit of opening mouth of, 258, 259

— Sleep floating in the sea, 259, 260; and under the water, 297, 298

— Makes the sea a rock, 260

— A great sleeper, 260, 298

— Sporting of, with seaweed, 321, 322

— Should be called phoca Antiquarius, 325

— Liking shown for special rocks by, 330–33, 345; or particular places upon them, 345, 346

— Use made of seaweed by, 332

— Activity of, in water, 335, 336; but surpassed by that of the otariidæ, 337–41; difficulty of understanding this and parallel cases, 336–41

— Sporting together of, in sea, 346, 347

— Eat fish in a playful manner, 347

— Author's observations on, collated with those of the late Dr. Edmondstone, 373–9

— Are governed by the law of practicability, 379

Crouching, Habit of, in birds may have preceded that of flying, 6, 7; or have been resorted to owing to weak flight, 7

— Habit of, in young skuas, terns, gulls, peewits, etc., 197; and in stone-curlew through life, as supposed, 6, 197

Cuckoo, Brilliancy of mouth-cavity in, 131, 132; suggested explanation of this through natural selection, 131, 132

— Actions of young in nest when disturbed, 132

Curlew, A complaining shadow, 1

 

⁠D

Darwin, Quoted in reference to lizards on the Galapagos Islands, 52, 53; and in reference to sexual selection, 272–4; anticipated by Swift, 33

Dean Swift, Anticipation of Darwin by, 33

Death, The dance of, encouraged by science, 148

Ducks at the Pittville Gardens in Cheltenham, 64, 65

⁠E

Eagles, A pair of, foiled by pigeons, 158, 159

Eider Duck, Female and young alone seen in late July, 26

— Family parties of, 26

— Feed sometimes on seaweed, 26–8, 77, 78

— Bobbing, etc., of, 28, 29

— Mother and chicks feeding on the rocks, 75–7

— Feed on mussels, 77, 78

— Process of differentiation in feeding habits of, 78, 80

— Luminous appearance of, under water, 204

Emotions, Our noblest tainted in their origin, 185, 186

Evil may be the path of advance, 207, 208

Expulsion, Law of, amongst birds, 7; referred to by Gilbert White, 7

Extinction, The scientific charm of, 148

Eye, Accuracy of the ornithological, when helped by a measuring-tape, 34, 35

⁠F

Falstaff in Eastcheap, 343

Fulmar Petrel, Appearance, etc., of young, 88

— Actions, etc., of, 88, 89

— Lethargy of, 89, 90

— Difference between young and old, 90, 91

— Domestic habits of, 91–3

— Young: how fed, 92, 93

— Different coloration of buccal cavity in young and old, 93; suggested explanation of this, 93

— Strange error made by author in regard to, 114–16

Fulmar Petrel, Nuptial note of, 116, 117

— Unangelic propensities of, 117, 118

— Marvellous powers of flight of, 118–21

— A "delicate Ariel," 118

—Nuptial antics of, 125, 126, 202

— Æsthetic coloration of buccal cavity in, 126, 127; suggested explanation of, 129, 131

— Power of ejecting excrement to a distance possessed by, 165, 166

— Statement made by author in regard to, checked, 201

— Family parties of, 201

⁠G

Great Black-backed Gull, Swoop of, 2

— Will attack arctic skua, 13

— Probably not victimized by arctic skua, 13

Great Seal, Perpendicular attitude in water of, 217, 234

— Length of submersions of, 235, 285

— Mistake of observation made by author in regard to, 235, 236, 328

— Appearance of, etc., in or out of water, 236, 324, 328, 329, 343–5

— More modified in relation to aquatic life than common seal, 236

— Called "the bottle-nosed seal" locally, 234, 237

— Sideway roll of, in going down, 238

— Splendid appearance of, under water, 285, 286

— Beauty of skin of, 285, 370; probably due to sexual selection, 286

— Falstaffian proportions of, 324, 325

— Consummate happiness of, 325

— Different appearance of fur of, when wet or dry, 325, 326

— Leaving his rock, 325, 326, 329

— In Eastcheap, 342

— His beloved sleep, 342

— Author's observations on, collated with those of the late Dr. Edmondstone, 364–73

Great Skua becomes less savage as the young grow older, 93, 94, 151, 197

— Young, the, an absurd figure, 150, 151

— Less interesting than the arctic skua, 152; and wants the wild cry of the latter, 152

— Is difficult to watch, 152, 161

Great Skua, Escape of a young, à la cuttlefish, 154

— Herrings decapitated by, 195; if not by gulls in first instance, 196

— Plumage of, in chick, 196

— Cry of chick to parents, 197

— Crouching habit of chick, 197

Guillemots, Apparent habit of constantly drinking sea-water, 62

— Will fight carrying fish in bill, 72

— Remain on breeding-ledges after departure of chicks, 95–7, 211, 212; or return there after having flown down with them, 96, 97

— Actions of, as of feeding young, after the young have gone, 97–9; possible explanation of this, 99, 103, 290, 291, 295; and of similar hallucinations in man, 101–3

— Young, how fed, 104, 140, 162, 163, 173, 209; colouring, etc., of, 104, 105, 141, 174; how do they reach the sea?, 105, 106, 139, 166, 174, 175, 232, 233; not quite immovable, 108, 109, 142, 188, 287–9

— Nest-building, instinct in, possible last trace of, 109

— Appearance of, on the ledges, 111, 112

— Nuptial note of, 113, 114; strange error made by author in regard to, 114, 115; how explained, 115–17

— Jodeling, etc., of, 113, 114, 162–4, 172, 177, 178, 187, 211, 288–90

— "Hărrāh," note of, 187, 188

— Flight of, a mystery, 133, 134

— Marital relations of, 139, 140

— Young, received under the parental wing, 141, 142, 162–6, 172–4, 176, 212

— Receptive power of chick, 162, 163, 210

— White mark round eye of, 164; represented in plain birds by depression in feathers, 164; both may be due to sexual selection, 164

— Funny attitude of young, 164, 165, 212

— A distinguished bird amongst, 165

— Picture of maternal love presented by, 142

— Power of ejecting excrement to a distance, of, 165

Guillemots, Possible relation of plumage to chick, in old bird, 166

— Depression under wings of, possibly in relation to chick, 166

— Manner of diving of, 168

— A chick gone, 176, 177

— A family scene amongst, 177, 178, 209

— Chicks, the, petted, etc., by birds not their parents, 179, 287, 291, 295, 296; suggested explanation of this, 183, 184, 290, 291, 295

— Possible process of social evolution taking place amongst, on analogy of insects, 179–83

— Plaintive cry of young, 189, 287; supposed origin of the name, 189

— Eye of, 209, 210

— Buccal cavity of grown, lemon-coloured, 210; but merely flesh-coloured in chick, 210; suggestes explanation of this, 210, 211

— Strong constitution of young, 232, 233; reflections aroused by, 232, 233

— Chick, dangerous journey of, 287, 288

— Bring in one fish at a time, 301

— Fish: how held by, 301

Gulls, Perpetual canopy formed by, 2

— Noise made by, 2; sounds softly, 2

— "Ow" note of, 2; language evolved out of, 2

— Discordant laugh of, 2

— Author troubled by hostility of, 4

— Odd sensation caused by, 4

— Seem to make all the world, 4

— Special sanctuary of, 4, 5

— Take place of men, 5

— House of Commons suggested by cries of, 5

— Clinging to breeding-place of, 5, 6, 95

— One's presence resented by, 4

— Young have habit of crouching, 6; but adults do not crouch, 6

— Young, habit of associating together of, 7; consequent migration of, from island, 7; suggested cause of above, 8

— In a mirage, 36

— Drink fresh water, 62; and may also drink salt, 62

— Herrings possibly decapitated by, 196

— Not interested in the fate of seals, 373, 375

Gun, A, Dries up all poetry in a man's heart, 193

Gunpowder, Invention of, deplored by the author, 193

⁠H

Heine, His views on sympathy in relation to civilization, 293, 294

Herring Gull may profit by piracies of the arctic skua, 302, 303

— Young kittiwakes killed by, 303, 304, 314–16, 349–51; inferior, as a spectacle, to that of snakes killing their prey, 351–4

— Young puffin dropped by, on the rocks, 308, 309

— Shakespearean disquisition, a, suggested by, 308–12

— A fruit-eater, 365–8

— Beautiful dye, a, produced by, 365, 366

— Pellets disgorged by, interesting objects, 366, 367; and would make an instructive collection, 366, 367

— Not interested in the fate of seals, 373, 375

Humanitarian, the, Flies in the face of the deity, 250; a difficulty shirked by, 250

Hunter, Mrs., Her pleasant establishment at Balta Sound, 86

Hunting Instinct, the, Natural but unjustifiable in civilized man, 333–5; will cease when the animals have, 335

⁠I

Iceland, The kind of paradise it may become, 146

Innocence, a trumpery thing, 207

Intersexual Selection, Arguments for a process of, 261–80

Island, the Author's, Lonely yet populous, 1, 2, 3

— Remarkable caves in, 47–50

⁠K

Kittiwakes, Young, assembling together of, 7, 8, 201

— Appearance of, on the ledges, 112

— Cry of, 112

— Appearance, etc., of young, 122

— Young, how fed, 122, 123

— Bright colouring of mouth cavity in, 123; is less bright in the young, 123; suggested meaning of this, 124–31

Kittiwakes, Mistake made by author in regard to, 175

— Bathing of, resembles an antic, 199

— Dove-like appearance of young, 122, 201

⁠L

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker carries many insects at a time to young, 302

Life, Civilized, dark clouds that hang over, 254–5

Lumbago, Disquisition provoked by, 205–8

⁠M

Man, Comparative happiness of savage and civilized, 252–6; impartial judgment as to, not obtainable, 255, 256

— Plays part of devil in nature, 347, 348

— Civilized, the most miserable being that exists or has ever existed, and the great purveyor of misery to other beings, 347, 348

Might judiciously exercised the highest ideal in accordance with the scheme of nature, 348, 349

Muscovy Ducks, Habit of drinking dew of, 62, 63

— In the Pittville Gardens, strange appearance of, 63, 64

Museums, Competitive roar for slaughter of, 148

⁠N

Natural History, Full of unverified statements, 308

— Museum at Kensington, The, Its family slaughter groups, 145–7; the kind of people who enjoy them, 145–7

Naturalist, The real, not a man for this world, 194

— Should be a Boswell, 323

Nature, The godlessness of, 137

— Ruthlessness of, the effect of witnessing, 317–21

⁠O

Optimist, the, His faculty of finding comfort in uncomfortable things, 175

Ostrich, A ratite bird, 198; the scientific exigencies of such a position, 198

Oyster Catcher. See Sea-pie

⁠P

Palace of Truth, Mr. W. S. Gilbert's, As played and conceived of at Cheltenham, 243 (footnote)

Peewits, Habit of crouching in young, 6; which is not shared by adult, 6

— Relations of, with black-headed gull, 10

Peregrine Falcon, An exaggerated estimate of, 156

— Foiled by a partridge, 156; and by pigeons, 156, 157; and by a rook, 158

Pheasants, Refusal of a cock to rise, 44

— Unsportsmanlike conduct of, in Norfolk, 44

Pigeons, in a mirage, 36

— How seen to advantage, 157

— Coo of, terror of, 158

— Success of, against peregrine falcon, 157, 158; and eagles, 158, 159

Poet, the modern Christian, His devices for speaking the truth, 228, 229

Porpoise, A large kind of, 83, 84

Professors, The blood-prayer of, 148

Puffins, Pursued by arctic skua, 133

— Rapid flight of, 133

— Picked remains of, frequent, 136, 242

— Enemies of, 136, 137

— Great difference between young and old, 150

— Note of, 154, 155

— Impassive spectators, 169

— Lover-like actions of, 240

— Playfulness of, 240

— Sympathy shown by, 240, 241

— Mischances that may befall, 242

— Tendency of, to fight in mêlées, 242

— Marvellous beak of, 243; resembling a false nose used in amateur performance of The Palace of Truth at Cheltenham, 243 (footnote)

— Legs of, how coloured, 243, 244

— New sensation given by, 244

— Enormous numbers of, 244, 245

— Are somewhat silent, 245

— Nuptial display of, 246

— Male, a large-hearted bird, 246

— Buccal cavity of, a bright yellow, 246, 247; is probably a sexual adornment, 247, 248

Puffins, Eye of, almost as marked a feature as the beak, 299

— Young, dropped by herring-gull on to rocks, 308, 309

— Many fish brought in at a time by, 300; theory as to how this is done, 300, 301, 349

— Is strongly ritualistic, 313

— A lecture delivered to, 336–41

⁠R

Railways, Absence of, add a charm to Sterne and Miss Austen, 193, 194

— The destroyers of man and nature, 193

Raven, Mobbed by arctic skuas, 191, 205

— None, this time, on the island, 191

— Battue of, in progress throughout the Shetlands, 191

— Very wary, 194

— Odd action of, in air, 194

— Flight of, not majestic, 205

Razorbill, Apparent habit of constantly drinking sea-water, of, 62

— Bright colouring of buccal cavity, of, 127; suggested explanation of, 129–31

— Nuptial note and actions of, 127

Red-throated Diver, A ripple in shape of bird, 59

— Resembles both a grebe and a guillemot, 59

— Neck of, very beautiful, 59, 60

— Dives like a grebe, 60, 61

— Apparent habit of continually drinking, of, 61

Right does not exist apart from might, 348, 349

Rock Pipit, Arctic skua baffled by a, 10, 160

⁠S

Science, Hypocritical cloak of, 147

— Continual slaughter "for the sake of," 147

Scott, Sir Walter, Description of hawk chasing heron in The Betrothed, by, 9, 10

Sea Birds, Their apparent habit of constantly drinking sea-water, 62; possible explanation of this, 62

— Power of ejecting excrement to a distance, possessed by, 165, 166

Sea-pie, Quavering note of, 1

— Doctrine of metempsychosis in relation to, 37

— Bill of, how explained, 37

— A sleepy bird, 38

— Feeding habits of, 218–22

— May become a swimmer, 220

— Has some notes like the stone-curlew's, 222, 223

— Gatherings of, on beach, 222, 223

— Love-pipings of, 223, 224

— Aerial nuptial antic of, 224

Sexual Selection, Nature and origin of prejudice in regard to, 280–3

Shags, Use feet, alone, in diving, 50

— Disturbed in caverns, 50

— Unwillingness of young, to re-enter water, 50, 51; suggested explanation of this, 51–4; possible analogy in conduct of lizards of the Galapagos Islands, 52–4

— Conduct of a female alarmed for her young, 54

— Brilliant colouring of buccal cavity in, 55, 130, 131; but less brilliant in the young bird, 56; above facts explained by sexual selection, 55, 56, 129–31

— Apparent habit of continually drinking, of, 61

— Flying out of caves in the morning, 82–6

— Bellowing of, 84, 85

— Nuptial actions of, 129–31

— Young fed by parents after leaving nest, 148, 149

— Looking like heraldic eagle, 169, 170

— Young, how fed, 173

— Manner of diving, of, 173

Shark, Luminous appearance of, under water, 205

Sheep, A, and lamb, picturesque morning call from, 138

— A little harm done by, 138

Sheepskins in Manchuria versus sealskins in England, 337

Shetlands, Sunrise in the, 81, 82

— Summer in the, 167, 168

— Night out in the, possibility of, 167

— The wind in the, less interesting than in England, 170, 171

— Persecution of ravens, etc., by land-owners in the, 191–3

— Effect of climate in, on paraffin, 232

Shetlands, More lonely than "the great lonely veldt," 257

Sin, the way of, may be better than that of virtue, 206, 207

Snakes, Killing of prey in captivity by, defended by author, 354–64

Solitude, Sense of not diminished by animal life, except through human associations, 3; above opinion reversed, 297

— True, should imply no fleas, 257

Sport, What it does for observation, 370, 371

Sportsmen, An unobservant race, 142, 143

— Their one channel of observation, 143; and way of observing in this, 143

— Actuating motive of, to kill, 143

— Little of the naturalist in, 144

— Hasty inferences made by, 304, 305

— Interested opinions of, 304, 307

— Their intellectual competitions with geese, etc., 305

— Compliments paid to themselves by, 307

— Statements of, accepted as though from heaven, 307

Stone Curlew, Habit of crouching of, 6

— Possible origin of some antics of, 71

Sunrise, In the Shetlands, 81, 82

Swifts, Flight of, compared with that of bats, 134

Sympathy, The nature and origin of, 184, 185, 291, 292

— In relation to civilization, 292–5; Heine's views as to, 293, 294

⁠T

Terns, Breeding-ground of, on the island, 1, 9

— Canopy formed by, 1

— Sharp cry of, 1

— A "shrieking sisterhood," 2

— One's presence resented by, 4

— Crouching habit of young, 6

— Special relations of, with arctic skua, 9–13; suggested origin of these, 11

— Not often actually attacked by arctic skua, 11; some more persevering against than others, 11, 43; suggested explanation of this, 11, 43

Terns, Possible ruse of, against arctic skua, 11, 12

— Preferred as quarry by arctic skua, 13

— Excitement in colony of, on young being interfered with, 31–34

— Anger of, compared with that of insects, 31, 32

— Yahoo-like habit of, 32, 33

— Fiercer in the Shetlands than in southern England, 34

— In a mirage, 35, 36

— Mobbing hares, 32, 33

— Slight difference between common, and arctic, 34, 35

— Assaults made on author in defence of young, 39, 41, 42; beak only used in such assaults, by, 39, 41, 42; differ, in this respect, from skuas and gulls, 39–41

— Young encouraged to fly by, colony of, 42; and may need such encouragement, 42, 43

— Lethargy of young, 42, 43

— The common made roseate terns, 85

Terns, Communal interest of, in young, 179

— Possible process of social evolution in, on analogy of insects, 179–83

Theory, A soil in which facts grow, 79, 80

— Voltaire's simile in regard to, 90

United Kingdom, the, Strange summer contained in, 167

— Not mistaken by author, for paradise, 167

⁠W

Water Wagtail, Carries many insects to young, at a time, 302

Whales, Small, off the Shetlands, 84

— Seen by author, leaping out of the sea, 84, 85

Wind, the, Difference of, in England and the Shetlands, 170, 171, 190

Wren, a, By the wild seashore, 238-40

⁠Z

Zoologist of the future, the, 323

 

 

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