VOL. viT.] THE RED-THROATED DIVER. 153 



and one could almost imagine she was consciously proud 

 of the brilliant crimson gorget worn during the breeding- 

 season. And indeed she probably is, for what feminine 

 thing — or masculine either — is not conscious of its charm ? 



On dull days the head looks dark slate-grey which 

 exactly tones wdth the sullen water, and in all lights 

 the white line along the upper mandible tends to merge 

 the bird into its surroundings. In the water all the 

 movements of this Diver are characterized by a dainty 

 grace — out of it she is ungainly as a seal (Plate 13). 

 When you see her shuffling up to her nest you feel 

 you would like to walk behind and help her ; the breast- 

 feathers become stained and discoloured from contact 

 with the moist peaty earth as she struggles clumsily up 

 the bank. On returning to the eggs she usually dived 

 when within twenty yards, re-appearing close to the 

 bank. On one occasion I was lucky enough to catch 

 her just as she came up from the dive, the photograph 

 showing only the head and neck, with a swirl of Avater 

 where the body is about to emerge (Plate 13). 



She scrambled on to the bank at a point immediately 

 opposite the camera (Plate 14) ; generally one bound landed 

 her close to the eggs ; she then flopped down somewhere 

 AA'ithin touch of them, and fell forwards, thrusting the 

 eggs very far aft with her bill. Every two or three 

 hours she stood up and turned them (Plate 14), then 

 fell forwards again. For the most part she sat gazing 

 out over the moor, sometimes wide awake and suspicious, 

 frequently dozing ; now and again she played with 

 loose bits of grass within reach. Often she moved 

 her head from side to side with rapid, sinuous twists 

 as if looking for her mate — ^whom I never once saw — 

 but nothing seemed to scare her. Once I had a prolonged 

 and violent fit of coughing, and when this occurs birds 

 are usually scared out of their wits ; but the Diver 

 only stretched out her long neck and listened (Plate 15), 

 resuming her usual nonchalant air as soon as the un- 

 wonted sounds were over. At the last I took down the 



