lOO JOURNAL OF MAINE ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



structed high above the ground. This nest was unusually peculiar 

 from its situation, amount of material, and in other respects. The 

 customary site for a lyoon's nest is on a small island or tussock or 

 the like, surrounded by water and inconspicuous. Here the nest 

 has very little material in its structure, and it closely resembles its 

 surroundings. It is on a so-called floating island, or mass of peat- 

 like stuff and roots that would not bear one's weight. 



Having been warned by a certain person that he was going to 

 Camp Cove, and if the eggs were not then hatched he was going to 

 take them, since he believed that they would not hatch, I hied me 

 forth to get a picture of the eggs. My wife and daughter accom- 

 panied me. As we entered the cove we saw two old Loons and one 

 young swimming away some distance from the nest. In order to 

 try to get close enough to photograph them, we started slowly 

 toward them. The head Loon, uttering a cry of alarm, began to 

 flap his wings and rush off over the water much as they do when 

 trying to fly or rise from the water. He made a great splashing and 

 mournful cries. Suddenly he shot out of the water, with a shrill 

 cry, and dove, out again with another cry and down, and the third 

 time the same. We continued toward the remaining Loon. This 

 old Loon, uttering short cries, dove and appeared repeatedly in 

 quick succession and left the young one, but was apparently not so 

 agitated as the other. When we approached the young one it came 

 toward us. I had difficulty in keeping far enough away to photo- 

 graph it. In fact, I got no good picture. The little thing came 

 close to the boat and my wife picked it up and it cuddled down in 

 her hands very contentedly. We returned it to the water and rowed 

 rapidly away from it, but it at first tried to follow, then gave it up. 

 When we were far enough away the old Loon returned and took it 

 away with her. But when we approached the nest the first old Loon 

 came rushing toward us with loud cries and great splashing of water 

 and flapping of wings, now and then diving as before. Some hun- 

 dred yards or less away he stopped and cried continuously and anx- 

 iously. As we got closer to the nest we heard the peeping of the 

 young Loon — another one — but we could not detect it until it began 



