270 TRE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



come well within the boundaries of our north-eastern 

 w^atershed, and, in my opinion, fairly within the 

 district that I designate as our " neighbourhood." 

 I have very little acquaintance with this Diver in 

 life, having only met with it in one or two instances 

 on the south coast of England and also in the north 

 of Spain. In my experience this is by far the least 

 common of the three species of its genus that 

 frequent our seas during the months of winter and 

 early spring ; but although the greed of collectors 

 has greatly diminished its numbers, it still breeds 

 on many of the lochs of the Scottish Highlands and 

 Islands. I have never visited any of these localities 

 during the breeding-season of the Divers, but I 

 gather from the accounts given to me by friends, as 

 well as from published histories of this bird, that 

 the favourite sites for the laying .of its eggs are 

 grassy spots on small islands of secluded lakes, 

 generally within a few feet of the water's edge. The 

 eggs are laid early in May, and are of a very dark 

 olive colour spotted with black, the young take 

 to the water immediately on being hatched, and 

 are assiduously watched over and tended by their 

 parents. I have been assured by a very accurate 

 observer, who had ample opportunities for the study 

 of these birds, that he believes them to be incapable 

 of any progressive motion on land except by shuffling 

 on their bellies : without any special knowledge 

 relating to this particular species, I am disposed not 

 only to concur in this opinion, but to believe that 

 the Divers (in the restricted sense of the term) rarely, 

 if ever, assume the erect position on land (by 

 squatting on the whole length of the tarsus) that 

 is so characteristic of the Alcidoe. The food of the 



