24 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



Suborder CEPPHI. Loons and Auks. 

 Family GAVIID^. Loons. 

 Genus GAVIA. Forster. 



Key to the species of the GAVIID^. 



A. Throat black. 



1. Head black. Loon. 



2. Upper part of head and hind neck gray or ashy. Black-throated 



Loon. 



B. Throat not black. 



1. Throat and f oreneck with a chestnut stripe. Red-throated Loon. 



2. Throat and foreneck without chestnut stripe. 



* Wing more than 13.00 inches long and distance from base of bill 



to front end of nostril more than 0.75 inch. Loon (Immature). 



** Wing less than 13.00 inches or distance from base of bill to 



front end of nostril less than 0.75 inch. 



a'. Tarsus shorter than inner toe with claw. Black-throated 



Loon (Immature), 

 a*. Tarsus longer than inner toe with claw. Red-throated Loon. 

 (Immature). 



7. Gavia imber (Gunn.). Loon; Great Northern Diver; 

 Call-u p-a-stor m . 



Plumage in summer adults : head, neck and upper parts black, iridescent ; 

 throat, sides of neck, back and wings black, spotted or barred with white ; 

 breast and belly white. Adult and immature winter plumage : above black- 

 ish, not white spotted, feathers grayish margined ; below white. Wing 14.80 

 to 15.50 ; culmen 3.00 ; tarsus 3.35 ; depth of bill at base 1.00. 



Geog. Dist — Northern part of northern hemisphere, breeding from the 

 more northern tier of states northward ; in winter ranging south to the 

 Gulf of Mexico and Lower California. 



County Records — Androscoggin ; common summer resident, (Johnson) 

 Cumberland ; summer resident, (Mead). Franklin ; common summer resident, 

 (Swain). Hancock ; a local summer resident, breeding only inland, resident 

 along coast, not common but very easily found when sought properly, 

 (Knight). Kennebec; rare summer resident, (Gardiner Branch). Knox 

 resident, (Rackliff). Oxford; breeds commonly, (Nash). Penobscot; local 

 summer resident, one or two pair nesting on most of the suitable ponds and 

 lakes, not common, from its large size and habits readily found at proper 

 places, (Knight). Piscataquis; common breeds, (Homer). Sagadahoc; 



