URINATORID.dE — THE LOONS— QRTNATOR. 4 19 



aquatic plants, and though quite bulky, is seldom raised more than six inches above 

 the wafer. Sometimes this elevation is barely large enough to contain the nest. 

 There is no attempt at concealment'; on the contrary, the most open situation is 

 chosen, where the view is unobstructed in all directions. If a boat approache . the 

 bird glides silently into the water, ri it distance, and unle clo ely 



watched, is rarely seen. Two eggs is the u aal number, mea uring 3.40 by 2.33 

 inches, the ground-color yellowish brown, covered more or Less thi I whole 



egg wi( p omel ime i Lai ge blotcl The shell is ve 



when two are struck together fch overed in the 



of the bird. The young leave the i m as hatched 



and difficult to catch, even when very small. The old bird is often n 

 their defence; on one oi ng clo e to and dashing water 



ogs. 



Audubon states that, in Labrador, in a number of in found the ne I oi 



this bird several yards from the water; and where this was the case, a well 

 path was found leading from it to the i iter. The nests were fifteen inche in diam- 

 eter and seven inches high. He claims to have more frequently found three than 

 ;ga — a statement that lea think he maj ' en tin- 



nest of the 8eptentrionalis (=lumme) for thai of this bird. Certainly I have never 

 seen, nor have I ever heard of, more than peci , Hi 



3.75 inches by 2.25 as th< : ground-color a dull gri 



ochrey, marked with spots of dark umber. I I hell, is 



covered with a stiff black - 



In regard to 

 I know. Nut igo fond ; bul 



elf, it is quite po rathei than knew 



that they wen- all taken from i there 



being but two eggs to utioned by Mr. Thomas B - 



in the summers of 1S77 and 1878, carefully ob ei (red I he habits of this species among 

 the lakes of Northern Maine. Hi of twelve pai 



ee the number in the nest was two; but in 

 and had evidently rolled out of the m I I p 



supplemented, and not that there ai ny one time three eggs in 



Mr. Stearns informs me that he found great differem 



quite elaborate, i I Lty in the bog or 



sandbank. In hardly any two cases was the behavior of the parent bird thi 

 hi one instance she remained on her nest, until the boat had approached within 

 fifty feet, only at first lowering and trying to hide her head. I 



id did not permit themselves to be Been. In another in 

 the parents kept closely aboul and only removed 



to a safer disl ; arns found in 



•oiuer; ._/ much incubated, the other quite fresh. Oni lie mere 



surface of a muddy bog that ■• but only par- 



tially detatched. These eggs were risible some thirl nd the hollow 



in which they lay was so damp that their under side v. bad two 



ling in different directions, thus furnishing two 

 In one instance the hoal for the bird to dive, and captured 



alive just after her leavirj 



The Loon moves with difficulty on the land: but locomotion is nor impossible, and 

 when stimulated by fear it can flounder over the ground with con pidity. 



vol. ii. — 57 



