330 COLYMBID.E. 



Awe. Our utmost exertion could never bring lis within 

 range, and we Avere often foiled by its returning on its former 

 track, and re-appearing in a direction contrary to that in 

 which it seemed to have dived. During this pursuit it was 

 frequently lost for several minutes together, and came up 

 nearly a quarter of a mile ahead, and its progress could not, 

 I should think, have been much under the rate of eight miles 

 in the hour. It lives upon fish, aquatic insects, and such 

 other food as it procures under water. I have seen a pair 

 upon Loch Awe towards the end of June, but did not suc- 

 ceed in detecting their place of nidification. When in 

 Suthcrlandshire we found this species upon most of the lochs 

 of the interior. The first we noticed was at the foot of Loch 

 Shin, where we were so fortunate as to find the nest, or rather 

 the two eggs, upon the bare ground of a small islet, removed 

 about ten or twelve feet from the water''s edge. The female 

 was seen in the act of incubation, sitting horizontally, and not 

 in an upright position, upon the eggs. Li plumage she pre- 

 cisely resembled the male, and when fired at immediately 

 swam, or rather dived off to him at a short distance. Our 

 pursuit after them was, however, ineffectual, though per- 

 severed in for a long time, as it was impossible to calculate 

 where they were likely to rise after diving. Submersion fre- 

 quently continued for nearly two minutes at a time, and they 

 generally re-appeared at nearly a quarter of a mile''s distance 

 from the spot where they had gone down. Li no instance 

 have I ever seen them attempt to escape by taking wing. I 

 may observe that a visible track from the water to the eggs 

 was made by the female, whose progress upon land is effected 

 by shuffling along upon her belly, propelled by her legs be- 

 hind. On the day following, Saturday the 31st of May, 

 Mr. J. Wilson was fortunate enough to find two newly- 

 hatched young ones in a small creek of Loch Craggie, about 

 two and a half miles from Lairg. After handling and ex- 



