148 NEIGHBOURS UNKNOWN 



which drove every other fish, large or small, 

 in terror from the feeding-ground came 

 suddenly to an end. Rising abruptly with 

 the fish gripped in his great beak, the loon 

 burst out upon the surface, sending shore- 

 ward a succession of circling ripples. With- 

 out ceremony he gulped his meal. Then, 

 swimming rather low in the water, and with 

 head thrust out before him, he hurried to 

 his nesting-place on the islet, as if he thought 

 he had been too long away from his domestic 

 duties. 



The spot on the islet where the loons had 

 their nest was almost unconcealed. It was 

 in a grassy cup within four or five feet of 

 the water's edge, and sheltered only by a thin 

 screen of bushes on the landward side. 

 Toward the sky it was quite open. There 

 had seemed to be little need of concealment 

 before the intruder, man, came to the lake. 

 The islet was too far from the main shore to 

 be in danger from the visits of foxes or 

 bears, fishers or racoons. And as for the 

 sky well, the loon had little fear of any- 

 thing that flew. Because of this lack of 

 apprehension from skyward, even his colour- 

 ing was not very protective, his glossy black, 

 barred and mottled with pure white, being 

 fairly conspicuous against the greys, and 



