REDTHROATED-DIVER 453 



the Fdiina of tin' Nortli-w^t J/i</h/<>//</* <m<l tikye (p. 343) is an even more 

 extraordinary account of a bird which was accompanied by a single 

 young one, and came straight at a boat, with bill wide open, until 

 almost within reach of the oars, evidently in defence of the young. 

 Mr. G. Bolam once watched two off Spittal beach, whose interest was 

 so excited by a small dog which was frisking about on the sands with 

 some children, that they came within four or five yards of the shore, 

 and were only frightened off when the boys began to pelt them with 

 stones. 1 



The remarks with regard to the position in the water and 

 attitudes on land under the heading of the other species apply equally 

 to this, but it may be mentioned that Mr. G. Bolain states that he 

 has seen a blackthroated-diver sitting erect for a moment beside its 

 nesting-place before plunging into the water. Mr. E. W. Nelson 2 came 

 across one in Alaska which attempted to make its way to a pond 

 some thirty or forty yards distant, and in spite of his efforts the bird 

 distanced him, progressing by pressing downward with the wing-tips 

 and at the same time leaping forward by the combined impulses of 

 feet and wings. 



REDTHROATED-DIVER 



This is the commoner of our two breeding species of Diver, and is 

 especially numerous in the wet moorlands of Caithness and East 

 Sutherland, where it outnumbers the blackthroat in the proportion of 

 about three to one. In most of its habits it closely resembles its 

 ally, and possesses similar powers of swimming, diving, and flight. 

 Montagu has left on record some interesting observations made on a 

 bird which he found in a canal. This bird made no attempt to fly, 

 and by walking and running after it he was enabled to make a fair 



1 Birds of Northumberland and the Eastern Borders, p. 670. 



2 Report on the Natural History Collections made in Alaska betiveen the Years 1877 and 1881, 

 p. 37. 



VOL. IV. 3 M 



