BLACK-THROATED DIVER. 331 



amining them, during Avliicli the old birds approached very 

 near to him, he left them in the same spot, knowing that we 

 were anxious to obtain the old birds. Accordingly on the 

 Monday morning we had the boat conveyed to the loch, and, 

 on our arrival, soon descried the two old birds, attended by 

 their young, and apparently moving to a different part of the 

 loch. Contrary to their usual habit at other times, they did 

 not attempt to dive upon our approach, but kept swimming 

 around their young, which, from their tender age, were un- 

 able to make much way in the water, and we got sufficiently 

 near to shoot both of them through the neck and head, the 

 only parts accessible to shot, as they swim with the whole 

 body nearly submerged. The female could only be distin- 

 guished from the male by a slight inferiority of size, and both 

 Avere in the finest adult, or summer, plumage. We after- 

 wards saw several pairs upon various lochs, and upon Loch 

 Kay a pair, attended by two young ones nearly half grown. 

 When swimming, they are in the constant habit of dipping 

 their bill in the water, with a graceful motion of the head 

 and neck." The egg, measuring two inches and three- 

 quarters in length, by one inch and ten lines in breadth, is 

 of a dark olive-brown, thinly spotted with dark umber-brown. 



Mr. Thompson has recorded the occurrence of the Black- 

 throated Diver in the North of Ireland ; and Mr. J. Mac- 

 gillivray states it as ascertained that it breeds in North Uist, 

 one of the Outer Hebrides. The Rev. Mr. Low says that 

 it is to be found in the sounds and bays of Orkney at all 

 seasons, but Mr. Dunn who has visited both Orkney and 

 Shetland several times lately, considers it now to be a rare 

 bird at both places. 



M. Nilsson says this species is common in Sweden in 

 summer, breeding among grass and reeds on the margins 

 of islands in lakes ; leaving those places for the open sea 

 in winter. Mr. Hewitson and his friends saw the Black- 



