144 



BRITISH BIRD?. 



[VOL. IX. 



V-shape ; the points of the toes appeared to be touching, 

 and the webliing of the feet Mas closed, not spread. 



The birds were frequently seen to lie on one side in the 

 water with one leg out, preening their plumage, as ducks 

 do. I also saw one when swimming on an even keel lift 

 one leg an inch or two out of the ^\■ater and wave it in 

 the air behind it. It both closed and opened the ^\-eb 

 when doing this. 



Fife'. 2. GREAT NORTHEKN DIVEE SWIMMING LOW NEAR THE NEST. 

 {Photographed bji Eric- B. Dunlop. ) 



The nest of the pair with young \\-as also found. It was 

 at the margin of a small lake. The birds had apparently 

 ])r()iight some grass together here also, but it was on land 

 and not built up on a submerged bank. The sliclls of 

 the hatched eggs had not been removed by the birds and 

 were lying in fragments on the nest. The female s^am 

 about with the two young perched on her back. Tiiey 

 were seated between the scapulars, and she kept turning 

 her head round to them as she swam. On scaring her 

 she dived, but on her coming to the surface again the 



