6 NOTES ON NEW ENGLAND BIRDS 



of his whereabouts the moment he came to the surface. 

 After an hour he seemed as fresh as ever, dived as will- 

 ingly, and swam yet farther than at first. Once or twice 

 I saw a ripple where he approached the surface, just put 

 his head out to reconnoitre, and instantly dived again. 

 I could commonly hear the plash of the water when he 

 came up, and so also detected him. It was commonly a 

 demoniac laughter, yet somewhat like a water-bird, but 

 occasionally, when he had balked me most successfully 

 and come up a long way off, he uttered a long-drawn 

 unearthly howl, probably more like a wolf than any 

 other bird. This was his looning. As when a beast puts 

 his muzzle to the ground and deliberately howls ; per- 

 haps the wildest sound I ever heard, making the woods 

 ring ; and I concluded that he laughed in derision of 

 my efforts, confident of his own resources. Though the 

 sky was overcast, the pond was so smooth that I could 

 see where he broke the surface if I did not hear him. 

 His white breast, the stillness of the air, the smoothness 

 of the water, were all against him. At length, having 

 come up fifty rods off, he uttered one of those prolonged 

 unearthly howls, as if calling on the god of loons to aid 

 him, and immediately there came a wind from the east 

 and rippled the surface, and filled the whole air with 

 misty rain. I was impressed as if it were the prayer of 

 the loon and his god was angry with me. How surprised 

 must be the fishes to see this ungainly visitant from 

 another sphere speeding his way amid their schools ! 



I have never seen more than one at a time in our 

 pond, and I believe that that is always a male.' 



' [The sexes are indistinguishable.] 



