90 Bird-Life iv Ijibrdnor. 



Along the seacoast the bird seems to be common also, and is 

 often seen either flying high in the air when it much resem- 

 bles a Canada Goose with its long neck and shoi't, tapering 

 wings, or in the water just out of gunshot from tlic shore. It 

 is always a hard bird to shoot, but the natives have a strange 

 theory regarding its diving at the flash. They say that if you 

 can creep uj) to one without its first seeing you you can easily 

 shoot it when it is not looking at you. Tn jiroof of this as- 

 sertion native gunners, time and again, bn night nie birds (and 

 I often saw them shot at a single discharge of the gun) which 

 they declared were so killed. I, with others, have chased 

 tliesc birds for hours together, in a boat about the iiarbors and 

 bays, shooting at them as they emerged from a long di\'e only 

 to redive witii a swiftness that continually l)aflied us. I.oons 

 are very common in the early Sjiring, both flying and in the 

 open water of the bays and harl);)i's or just ofl' the islands 

 outside. Strangely enough the natives, who will eat almost 

 auvthing: eatable, will not touch the loon, thouoh the yountr 

 bird is extremely good eating, at least we, who had been shut 

 up for six months of Winter with little or no fresh meat, 

 found them so in Spring. A good number of eggs were re- 

 ])orted to me while on the coast, though I do not remember 

 positively of seeing any of them. 



RED THROATED DIVER 



Colijinbits Hvptiittriondlis. — Jj. — 



This species doubtless occurs, though the next, although a 

 very rare bird, is often found in this region. One of the 

 priests from iJersamis infoiMued nie that he knew of several 

 captures of the latter. 



BLACK-THROATED DIVER 



CoIi/inbiiK arciiciix. — L. — 

 Severai. well-authenticated instances of the capture of 



