A TORPEDO IN FEATHERS 149 



greens, and browns which surrounded the 

 nest. Neither he nor his mate had any 

 particular objection to being seen by any 

 marauder of the air. Even the murderous 

 goshawk, or the smaller but even more fear- 

 less duck-hawk, would know better than 

 to swoop down upon the uplifted dagger of a 

 nesting loon. And as for the eagle, though 

 doubtless strong enough to master such an 

 antagonist in the end, he is wise enough to 

 know that the loon's punishing beak and 

 bulldog courage in defence of the nest would 

 make the victory an expensive and painful 

 one. 



But there was one enemy besides man 

 whom the loons had cause to fear, even on 

 their secluded islet. They hated the mink 

 with a well-founded hate. He could easily 

 swim out to discover and rob their nest ; 

 and if he should find it for a moment 

 unguarded, his agility would enable him to 

 keep well clear of their avenging wrath. On 

 the nest neither male nor female feared to 

 meet the mink's attack, their lithe necks and 

 unerring quickness of thrust being sufficient 

 defence even against so formidable a robber. 

 But their movements on land an awkward, 

 flopping series of waddles were so slow 

 that, in the case of a mink arriving, the 



