RING-NECKED LOON. 289 



what is passing below. It is very seldom that in a boat one 

 has a chance of procunni,^ it, for it is generally shy, and 

 always extremely vigilant. If shot at, and not wounded, it 

 never flies off, but dips into the water, and rises at a great 

 distance ; and unless shot dead, there is little chance of pro- 

 curing it, its tenacity of life being great, and its speed exceed- 

 ing that of a four-oared boat. 



Sometimes when surprised, or apprehensive of danger, I 

 have heard it emit a Ioav croaking sound. On ordinary occa- 

 sions it is quite silent, but often, even at night, its loud, 

 clear, melancholy cry, may be heard from the sea, and in 

 calm weather at the distance of half a mile or more. It is 

 very seldom seen on wing, but in the estuaries and channels, 

 at the turn of the tide, or early in the morning, and again in 

 the evening, it may be seen flying at a great height, with a 

 direct rapid flight, performed by quick beats of its expanded 

 wings, w^hich even then seem too small for its body, and con- 

 trast strangely with those of the Gulls. But in a direct 

 course this bird rapidly overtakes and passes a Gull flying at 

 its utmost speed. I have never seen it on shore, but have 

 been informed that there it is unable to walk, or even to 

 stand, and is obliged to push itself forward on its belly. An 

 acquaintance of mine caught one that had by the ebbing of 

 the tide inadvertently allowed itself to be left in a very shallow 

 pool. Montagu states that '* in the spring of 1797, one Avas 

 taken near Penzance in Cornwall, at some distance from the 

 water. It appeared incapable of raising itself from the 

 ground, though it did not seem to have any defect, as it lived 

 for six weeks in a pond," and died for want of a sufficient 

 quantity of food. Another, taken alive, and kept for some 

 months in a pond, was also incapable of walking. 



From the middle of spring to the end of May it is very 

 common along the shores of the Outer Hebrides, where I 

 have seen several hundreds, all of which were in mature 

 speckled plumage. They disappear in the beginning of June, 

 or sometimes earlier, and do not reappear in autumn, at 

 least in the same plumage ; for those whicli I have seen 

 there in winter had no spots on the back. At that season it 

 is met with from the most northern parts to the south of 



VOL. V. u 



