URINATORIDiE — THE LOONS. 255 



remains under water so long and comes to the surface at so 

 great a distance from the pursuer and in such unexpected places 

 that the pursuit of one that has been made wary by attempts 

 on its life is exciting though often tedious. 



The cry of the loon is loud and melancholy, being likened by 

 some to the howl of a wolf or the prolonged scream of a human 

 being in distress. 



Its flesh is dark, lough, and fishy, but is eaten by Indians. 



Urinator arcticus (Linn.) 



BLACK -THROATED LOON. 

 Popular synonyms. Arctic Loon or Diver; Black-throated Diver. 



Colymbus arcticus Linn. S.N. ed. 10, i, 1758, 135; ed. 12, 1766, 221.— Rich. & Sw. F. B.-A. ii, 

 1831, 475— Nutt. Man. ii, 1831, 517.— Aud. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, 345; B. Am. vii, 1814, 295, 



pi. 477.— Gray, Gen. B. iii, . pi. 171.— Lawe. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 888.— Baird, 



Cat. N. Am. B. 1859. No. 099— CouES.Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1802,228; Key, '■ 872,334; 

 Check List, 1873, No. 600; ed. 2, 1882, No. 842; Birds N. W. 1S74, 721-Ridgw. Nom. X. 

 Am. B. 1881, No. 738. 

 Urinator arcticus Stejn. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. v, 5, 1882,43,-B. B. & R. Water B. Am. 

 ii, 1881, 452— A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 9— Ridgw. Man. N. Am. 1887, 7. 



Colymbus macrorhynchos Beehm, Yog. Deutschl. 1831, 974. 



Colymbus megarhynchos Beehm, Naum. v, 1855,300. 



Colymbus ignotiin Bkchst. Gemein. Nature:. Deutschl. ii, 1791, 782. 



Colymbus leucopus Bechst. Naturg. iv, 1809, 625. 



Hab. Northern portions of northern hemisphere, breeding in Arctic districts. In 

 America, migrating south in winter, through the Eastern Province, to the northern United 

 States. 



Sp. Char. Adult: Chin, throat, and fore-neck velvety purplish black, with a purplish 

 violet reflection, this black bounded sharply below, bul >>n the sides of the head blending 

 gradually into the color of the cheeks and loi es, which are smoky slate, this color gradually 

 fading into a rather light smoky cinereous, which < ■•■ whole upper part ol the 



head and the entire nap"; across the fore-neck, just below the throat, a bar of white streaks; 

 on the sides of th • neck, between the purplish black of the fore-neck and the ash of the 

 nape, several longitudinal rows of black and wh te streaks, the latter narrowet 

 parts deep black, the upper part of the back with two parallel longitudinal series oi broad 

 white bars, the Inner - apulai with a sing] tmuoh larger, bul otherwise similar. 



bars, and the wing-ooverts marked with small ovate spots of white, I irta white, 



the Bides of the chest Btreaked with black; entire sides uniform intense black. Bill 

 black, the tip lighter; Iris bright carmine; legs and feet "grayish blue, their inner sides 

 tinged with ye] black, that of the Inner toe yellowish at the ba<=e"(AuT>U] -. 



Young: Similar to thai of U. much smaller, the angle of the mandible 



pi omlnent. 



Total length, about 26.00 to 29.00 inches; i stent, 39.50; wing. 12.1 

 oulmen, 2 ; depth ol bill through base, .: Ill); outer 



re adults.] 



The young of this species, particularly full grown specimens, are sometimes difficult to 

 distinguish from Immature specimens of but the m its win in most 



