COMMON LOON 51 



is never by walking, but by frog-like leaps. Diving, catching fish or swallowing 

 them head first are almost congenital instincts, much improved by practice 

 within the first week. There is no instinctive fear in these young birds. It is 

 probable that the young loons instinctively recognize the usual rolling, laugh- 

 ter-like call of the parents, judging from their reaction to the notes of the giant 

 kingfisher. 



Mr. F. A. Shaw, writing to me of the habits of loons at Sebago 

 Lake, Maine, says: 



When the loon family is approached by boat, the parent bird retires to a safe 

 distance and by loud cries and by flapping the wings on the water endeavors 

 to draw attention from the little ones to herself. If closely pursued the young, 

 even in their downy first plumage, will dive and swim under water for several 

 feet. I have seen them dive and swim under clear, calm water, and bright 

 bubbles would stand on their little backs. On returning to the surface, they 

 would shake themselves and their downy covering would be perfectly dry. 



Audubon (1840) says, of the food and development of the young: 



The young of the loon are covered at birth with a kind of black stiff down 

 and in a day or two after are led to the water by their mother. They swim 

 and dive extremely well even at this early stage of their existence, and after 

 being fed by regurgitation for about a fortnight, receive portions of fish, aquatic 

 insects, and small reptiles, until they are able to maintain themselves. Dur- 

 ing this period, gray feathers of the wings and tail gradually elongate. They 

 are generally very fat, and so clumsy as to be easily caught on land, if their 

 retreat to the water is cut off. But should you miss your opportunity and the 

 birds succeed in gaining the liquid element, into which they drop like so many 

 terrapins, you will be astonished to see them as it were run over the water 

 with extreme celerity, leaving behind them a distinct furrow. When the 

 young are well able to fly, the mother entices them to remove from the pond 

 or lake on which they have been bred, and leads them on the wing to the near- 

 est part of the sea, after which she leaves them to shift for themselves. Now 

 and then, after this period, the end of August or beginning of September, I 

 have still seen the young of a brood, two or three in number continuing to- 

 gether until they were induced to travel southward, when they generally set 

 out singly. 



Mr. Cecil Swale writes, in a letter to Mr. W. E. Saunders: 



When a pair of young ones can fly, the parents appear to call in another 

 pair to celebrate and they certainly do it; for several years we have noticed 

 that on one particular day, and only one that summer, six loons will be seen 

 in the air at once making a lot of noise; four of the birds seem equally strong 

 and make wide circles round the other two. It is generally August before this 

 happens. 



August seems rather early for young loons to be flying, as they 

 are usually not strong on the wing until the middle or last of Sep- 

 tember. 



Plumages. The young loon, when first hatched is completely cov- 

 ered with soft, thick, short down; the entire upper parts including 

 the head, neck, chest, and sides are dark colored, "fuscous black" on 

 crown and back, "fuscous" on throat and sides; only the central 



