BLACK-THROATED LOOX. 297 



first account of its breeding in Scotland. In his report on 

 the quadrupeds and birds observed on an excursion made in 

 the summer of 1834, he says : — " This beautiful species, 

 whose breeding station had never before been detected, we 

 found upon most of the interior Sutherland lochs. The first 

 we noticed was at the foot of Loch Shin, where we were so 

 fortunate as to find the nest, or rather the two eggs, upon the 

 bare ground of a small islet, removed about ten or twelve feet 

 from the water's edge. The female was seen in the act of 

 incubation, sitting horizontally, and not in an upright posi- 

 tion, upon the eggs. In plumage she precisely resembled the 

 male, and when fired at immediately swam, or rather dived 

 ofi" to a short distance. Our pursuit after them was, however, 

 ineffectual, though persevered in for a long time, as it was 

 impossible to calculate where they were likely to rise after 

 diving. Submersion frequently continued for nearly two 

 minutes at a time, and they generally reappeared at nearly a 

 quarter of a mile's distance from the spot where they had 

 gone down. In no instance have I ever seen them attempt 

 to escape by taking wing. I may observe, that a visible 

 track from the water to the eggs was made by the female, 

 whose progress upon land is effected by shuffling along upon 

 her belly, propelled by her legs behind. On the day following 

 (Saturday, the 31st of May), Mr. J. Wilson was fortunate 

 enough to find two newly-hatched young ones in a small 

 creek of Loch Craggie, about two and a half miles from Lairg. 

 After handling and examining them, during which the old 

 birds approached very near to him, he left them in the same 

 spot, knowing that we were anxious to obtain the old birds. 

 Accordingly, on the Monday morning we had the boat con- 

 veyed to the loch, and, on our arrival, soon descried the two 

 old birds, attended by their young, and apparently moving to 

 a different part of the loch. Contrary to their usual habit at 

 other times, they did not attempt to dive upon our approach, 

 but kept swimming around their young, which, from their 

 tender age, were unable to make much way in the water, and 

 we got sufficiently near to shoot both of them through the 

 neck and head, the only parts accessible to shot, as they swim 

 with the whole body nearly submerged. The female could 



