THE BIRDS OF A NORTHERN LOCH 73 



its long neck stretched out flat on the 

 surface. While in this position it quickly 

 sank under the surface, and hardly left 

 a ripple behind. It was a clever way 

 of disappearing, and I thought showed 

 remarkable cuteness, for from a short 

 distance it would have been almost im- 

 possible for any one to have seen the bird 

 after it reached the water. 



Before the birds nest, the males are 

 seen flying rapidly over the land and 

 water, high up, and they repeatedly call 

 kop-op-op-op-op , kop-op-op-op-op . This is 

 a very loud call, and can be heard for 

 a great distance. The hens down on the 

 water answer with ker-o-war, ker-o-war, 

 a harsh cry something like the call of 

 the Great-crested Grebe. When the males 

 hear the answer, they swoop down in a 

 rapid glide to the water. On this large 

 loch there were only two pairs of Black- 

 throated Divers, and we felt very pleased 

 when, after a long search, we found the 



