THE GREAT DIVER 15 



great diver boldly dived out into the lake toward his mother. 

 Again she dived and coming up very near the boat made a 

 great splattering of the water to attract attention to her- 

 self. 



Back and forth the chase continued for some time, when 

 the great diver growing more wary dived into some brush 

 that overhung the bank and rising just high enough to 

 allow his nostrils to stick out of the water remained per- 

 fectly hidden. 



The man was outwitted at last. He knew the bird was 

 somewhere in the neighborhood doing this very thing, but 

 could not locate him; so he gave up the chase and rowed 

 down the lake. When he had rounded the point the 

 mother loon uttered a low call and her son came to meet 

 her. Swimming to him and letting her body down until 

 only her head stuck out of the water she received him on 

 her back and then rising to the surface swam rapidly 

 down the lake. She swam, dived, and even caught fish 

 with her young on her back, and so successfully was it 

 done that he was not dislodged. 



As the days went by, the loon family began to take an 

 occasional flight. Loons cannot rise directly from the 

 water as some ducks do, but run for a considerable distance 

 over the surface, paddling with their feet, flapping their 

 wings, and making great speed. Finally they are able to 

 rise into the air. These three birds would race across the 

 water as rapidly as possible, but when the parent birds 

 rose the great diver was not able to follow. Disconsolate he 

 watched them fly away and when after a time they re- 

 turned and plunged into the lake with terrific force he was 

 overjoyed. Loons have very heavy bodies and compara- 

 tively short wings and so find it hard to rise from the 



