BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 7 1 



Eggs. Two, occasionally only one, ranging in 

 colour from buffish-brown to dark olive-brown, 

 scantily spotted with umber and blackish-brown. 

 Average size about 3. 25 by 2.0 in. (See Plate XIII.) 



Time. May and June. 



Remarks. Resident, but subject to southern 

 movement in winter. Notes : strange and weird, 

 and said to resemble " Drink / drink ! drink ! the 

 lake is nearly dried up." Local and other names : 

 Speckled Loon, Lumme, Northern Douker. Does 

 not sit closely. Whilst waiting to secure the photo- 

 graph of the bird on her nest represented in our 

 photogravure, I had ample opportunities of proving 

 the assertions of older naturalists that the species 

 cannot walk in an upright position. Every time 

 the Diver came back to her nest she pushed her 

 way on her belly from the water to her eggs. 



DIVER, RED-THROATED. 



( Colymbus septentrionalis.) 

 Order PYGOPODES ; Family COLYMBHLE (DIVERS). 



Description of Parent Birds. Length about 

 twenty-four inches. Bill rather long, straight, 

 sharp-pointed, and bluish horn colour. Irides red. 

 Face and crown ash-grey, nape nearly black, with 

 short perpendicular white lines on it. Back, wings, 

 and upper tail-coverts almost black, spotted with 

 white, except wing-quills, which are uniform black. 

 Chin, cheeks, and sides of neck ash-grey, mixed 

 with lines and spots of a lighter tinge. On the 

 upper part of the neck in front is a conical patch 

 of chestnut-red. Breast, belly, vent, and under 

 tail-coverts white ; sides greyish-black, spotted 



