458 THE DIVING BIRDS — PYGOPODES. 



Had. Northern part of the northern hemisphere, south in winter nearly across the United 

 States. 



Sp. Char. Adult, summer plumage : Head and neck soft velvety cinereous, the crown streaked 

 with dusky ; nape dusky, streaked with white ; a longitudinal, wedge-shaped patch of rich chest- 

 nut covering the foreneck, the lower, truncated, edge adjoining the white of the jugulum, the upper 

 point reaching to the lower part of the throat. Upper parts dusky slate, more or less speckled with 

 white. Lower parts entirely pure white, except along the sides, beneath the wings, and on the 

 crissum, where more or less mixed with slate-color. Bill deep black, the extreme point yellowish, 

 and the culmen sometimes bluish ; iris carmine ; "tarsi and toes bluish white, each joint of the 

 latter, and the whole of the outer toe, black" (L. M. Turner, MS.). Winter plumage: Similar 

 to the above, but the whole lower half of the head, with entire foreneck, white, the nape ami upper 

 half of the head uniformly marked with broad streaks of dusky and narrower ones of white, and 

 the upper parts more uniformly and distinctly speckled with white. Bill brownish or grayish. 

 Downy young : " The young are at first covered with a dense elastic down of a grayish black color, 

 tinged with brown. The bill is bluish black, its basal edges yellow; the iris reddish brown" 

 (Audubon). 



Total length, 23.00-26.00 inches ; extent, 38.50-43.00 ; wing, 10.00-11.50 ; culmen, 2.25 ; 

 tarsus, 2.75. 



The Red-throated Diver is an Arctic species common to all parts of the north- 

 ern hemisphere, found in equal abundance in Asia, Europe, and America, in summer 

 breeding to the highest extent of available lands, and in winter wandering south- 

 ward to a varying and indefinite extent. 



According to Professor Reinhardt, this is a resident species in Greenland. Cap- 

 tain Blakiston cites it as procured from Hudson's Bay; Mr. Bernard Ross, as abun- 

 dant on the Mackenzie River. Hearne ("Journey," p. 430) states that it is also 

 known as a Loon in Hudson's Bay, but that it is far inferior in size to the other 

 species of Loon, seldom weighing more than three or four pounds. This bird, as well 

 as the other species, is an excellent diver. It always feeds on fish ; and while in pur- 

 suit of its prey, frequently becomes entangled in the fishing-nets set at the mouths 

 of creeks and small rivers. It is the most numerous species, and frequently flies in 

 considerable flocks. Like the other Loons, it makes its nests at the edge of the 

 water, and lays two eggs, which, though very rank and fishy, are always eaten, as 

 well by the English residents as by the Indians. 



Mr. Kumlien found this Loon very common in all the localities visited by him, 

 beginning to nest on the Upper Cumberland waters about the last of June, the eggs 

 being placed on the bare rocks, with very little grass or moss beneath them. The 

 birds were very noisy during the mating-season, and remained as long as the water 

 was open. 



Sir John Richardson states that the Red-throated Diver frequents the shores of 

 Hudson's Bay up to the most northern extremity of Melville Peninsula, and that it 

 is also abundant on the interior lakes. It is said to lay two eggs, by the margin of 

 the water. The eggs brought home by Parry were 2.92 inches in length and 1.75 

 in breadth, and of a pale oil-green color, blotched with umber. 



This species is found on the Atlantic coast only as a migrating visitor in spring 

 and fall. At the latter season the visitors are principally young birds. Giraud 

 states that it rarely occurs on the coast of Long Island except in the immature 

 plumage. Dr. Wood states (" American Naturalist," III. 518) that immature birds 

 of this species are very common in Long Island Sound, but that the adult is never, 

 so far as he knows, seen there. 



According to Dr. Cooper, it is found on the Pacific coast as far south as San Diego. 

 It is more rare than are the two other species of Loons. Dr. Heerman obtained one 



