390 DIVERS. 



utter a long-drawn, melancholy scream, like o doh, with a shrill, 

 loud, sighing, and rising note. Now and then, as if a call upon 

 the parent, the tone is broken almost in the manner of running 

 the finger across the mouth while uttering a sound. A young 

 bird of this kind which I obtained in the salt-marsh at Chelsea 

 Beach, and transferred to a fish-pond, made a good deal of 

 plaint, and would sometimes wander out of its more natural 

 element, and hide and bask in the grass. On these occasions 

 it lay very still until nearly approached, and then slid into 

 the pond and uttered its usual plaint, ^^'hen out at any dis- 

 tance, it made the same cautious efforts to hide, and would 

 commonly defend itself in great anger, by darting at the in- 

 truder and striking powerfully with its dagger-like bill. This 

 bird, with a pink-colored iris, like albinos, appeared to suffer 

 from the glare of broad daylight, and was inclined to hide from 

 its effects, but became very active towards the dusk of even- 

 ing. The pupil of the eye in this individual, like that of 

 nocturnal animals, appeared indeed dilatable ; and the one in 

 question often put down its head and eyes into the water to 

 observe the situation of its prey. This bird was a most expert 

 and indefatigable diver, and would remain down sometimes 

 for several minutes, often swimming under water, and as it 

 were flying with the velocity of an arrow in the air. Though 

 at length inclined to be docile, and showing no alarm when 

 visited, it constantly betrayed its wandering habit, and every 

 night was found to have waddled to some hidding-place. 

 where it seemed to prefer hunger to the loss of liberty, and 

 never could be restrained from exercising its instinct to move 

 onwards to some secure or more suitable asylum. 



Far out at sea in winter, and in the Great Western Lakes, 

 particularly Huron and Michigan, in summer, I have often 

 heard on a fine calm morning the sad and wolfish call of the 

 solitary Loon, which like a dismal echo seems slowly to invade 

 the ear, and rising as it proceeds, dies away in the air. This 

 boding sound to mariners, supposed to be indicative of a storm, 

 may be heard sometimes for two or three miles, when the bird 

 itself is invisible, or reduced almost to a speck in the distance. 



