The Great Diver.'] OF ORKNEY. 109 



" hatch their eggs under the water;" others, that they do 

 this in a natural hollow under their wings, and that they have 

 but a single egg. How it is, I confess myself ignorant, nor can 

 I, as far as I know, in this particular be informed by the writ- 

 ings of the naturalists, none of whom that I can learn advert- 

 ing to this bird's inability to perform its functions in the or- 

 dinary way. 



This is the largest diver we have, in length three feet and 

 a half, breadth four feet eight inches, weight sixteen pounds. 

 The head and neck to the breast are of a deep black, with a 

 gloss of green, changeable into purple ; under the throat is a 

 small semilunar white band, streaked with black, and on the 

 neck behind a larger, streaked in the same manner ; the bill 

 is black, sharp, and strongly made ; the breast and belly, also 

 the under sides of the wings, pure white ; the sides of the 

 breast, to the setting on of the wings, curiously streaked black 

 and white ; the back, coverts of the wings, and a stroke un- 

 der the wings, along the sides, are black, but each feather 

 marked with two well defined white spots ; the scapulars 

 are long, and the spots large and square ; the tail short and 

 black ; a dusky line runs from the thighs to the vent; the legs 

 are black. 



I take this or the next to be Martin's carrara, bomiivochil, 

 or bishop-fowl, which he describes " to be as big as a goose, 

 " having a white spot on the breast, and the rest par ty-colour- 

 " ed ; it seldom Hies, but is exceeding quick in diving ;" 

 weighs, according to him, sixteen pounds one ounce. — Vide 

 Descrip. West. Isles, page 12. 



