THE GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. 537 



sandy hays to the open sea, though occasionally seen some 

 miles from land. It swims deep in the water, hut advances 

 rapidly. When in pursuit of prey it sinks heneath the 

 surface without plunge or splash, the head disappearing 

 last, and it traverses perhaps two or three hundred 

 yards of water "before it rises again. Montagu says 

 that it propels itself by its feet alone ; Auduhon, on 

 the contrary, states that it uses the wings under water. 

 The latter author is most probably correct, for it dives 

 more swiftly than the Grebes, and these birds undoubt- 

 edly make a vigorous use of their wings. Where shoals 

 of small fish, such as sand-eels and sprats, abound, or 

 where fish even of a much larger size are numerous, the 

 Northern Diver finds a rich harvest. Occasionally while 

 thus engaged it meets its death by dashing into the 

 herring nets, and there getting entangled. A fine speci- 

 men was recently shown to me, in the island of Islay, 

 which had been thus captured. Though it has never been 

 known to take wing in attempting to elude pursuit, it 

 is often seen flying with strength and rapidity, outstripping 

 even the Grebe, which, in proportion to its size, is fur- 

 nished with far larger wings than itself. 



The adult male, which is a very handsome bird, is of 

 rare occurrence, most of those which visit our shores 

 being young birds. 



The nest is usually placed near the edge of a reedy lake 

 or large river, having a well-beaten track leading to it from 

 the water's edge. This is formed by the bird in its clumsy 

 effort to walk, a feat which it only performs on such 

 occasions. The nest itself is bulky, and is formed of the 

 vegetable substances found in the immediate vicinity, such 

 as grasses and other herbaceous plants. It contains two, 

 or more frequently three, eggs. The young are able to 

 swim and dive very soon after they are hatched, and are 

 fed for about a fortnight by their parents, at the expiration 

 of which time they have to hunt for themselves. 



