274 BIRDS OF NORFOLK. 



means to dive as surely as a duck's flying is prefaced by 

 turning- head to wind." 



Mr. Stevenson lias a pretty full note on the plumage 

 of the red-throated diver, as follows : — " From frequent 

 opportunities of examining this bird, I cannot help 

 concluding that the summer dress is both retained 

 later and re-assumed later than in either of the other 

 species, and that the specimens observed by Audubon 

 [on the coast of Massachusetts] with red throats, in 

 February, had not then lost the plumage of the pre- 

 vious summer. Whenever these birds appear very early 

 in autumn, that is to say, from the first to the third 

 week in October, some few birds are sure to exhibit 

 the red patch on the throat as perfect as it is during 

 the breeding season, and others in every state of change 

 appear at the same time, but I have never observed 

 any trace of red in specimens killed in November or 

 any later period. It is only, however, occasionally, as 

 before stated, that these divers appear here early enough 

 to present their full summer dress, and this was par- 

 ticularly the case in the autumn of 1862 [vide supra], 

 when a most unusual number of these birds appeared 

 ofi" our coast, accounted for by the extraordinary shoals 

 of herring at the time. Several very beautiful speci- 

 mens were sent to a bird stufier in this city, from whom I 

 purchased one now in my collection, as perfect an example 

 of this species in full nuptial plumage as I ever saw in 

 collections from high northern localities. More than a 

 dozen were shot in the course of a week or two off the 

 Sheringham beach, one of which being held up by the 

 legs disgorged sixteen young herring from its capacious 

 throat." At a much later date, also, occurs the follow- 

 ing note on the same subject : — " The red-throated 

 diver comes as early as September, often in October, 

 and many of these have perfect red throats, and no 

 appearance of change in some specimens, whilst others 

 killed at the same time have lots of white feathers 

 among them. Again, the white feathers appear first in 

 the red patch in some, but more usually in the cheeks 

 and neck first, the patch remaining pure. Some with 

 perfect red throats, &c., have no spots on the back; 

 others with as good red patches have many spots on the 



