BLACK-THROATED DIVER. 107 



nate as to find the uest, 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 off to him at 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 conveyed to the loch, and on our arrival 

 soon descried the two old birds attended by their young, and 

 apparently moving to a difierent 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 only be distinguished from 

 the male by a slight inferiority of size, and both were in 

 the finest adult, or summer plumage. We afterwards saw 

 several pairs upon various lochs, and upon Loch Kay [.sic] a 

 pair, attended by two young ones nearly half grown. When 



