76 WILD LIFE OF SCOTLAND 



mile under water without coming to the surface ; 

 and his speed there equals the speed of many birds 

 on the wing. He is occasionally entrapped in the 

 salmon-nets, or takes the bait on the fishermen's 

 lines. 



The blackthroat is the finest, and also rarest of 

 the three. He is known to build on the grassy 

 islands of several Scottish lochs, especially in that 

 paradise of wild-fowl, Sutherlandshire ; but he has 

 been too much run after to increase. Probably he 

 is on the decrease on the east coast, being now 

 seldom seen. He is said never to take wing. 



The most southernly, and commonest is the red- 

 throat. All three follow the shoals, and this one 

 has earned the name of "sprat-loon." He is also 

 known as the "rain-goose," from a peculiar cry, 

 supposed to portend bad weather. 



A fourth has been recently added, called the 

 whitethroat, and even the " Canadian diver " ; and 

 any winter, or spring day he can be seen anywhere 

 on the coast diving just beyond, often within the 

 broken water. But observers failed to note that 

 when the whitethroat was there, the redthroat was 

 absent. Nor did they reason that, like similar 

 strange marks, the red probably belonged to the 

 breeding season, and when absent would neces- 



