GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. 431 



the dusk of the evening. The pupil of the eye in this in- 

 dividual, like that of nocturnal animals, appeared indeed 

 dilatable ; and the one in question often put down his head 

 and eyes into the water to observe the situation of his prey. 

 This bird was a most expert and indefatigable diver, and 

 remained down sometimes for several minutes, often swim- 

 ming under water, and, as it were, flying with the velocity 

 of an arrow in the air. Though at length inclining to 

 become docile, and showing no alarm when visited, it con- 

 stantly betrayed its wandering habits, and every night was 

 found to have waddled to some hiding-place, where it 

 seemed to prefer hunger to the loss of liberty, and never 

 could be restrained from exercising its instinct to move 

 onwards to some secure or more suitable asylum." 



During their breeding-season the Northern Divers fre- 

 quent islands, in lakes and pools of fresh water, forming a 

 flattened nest of dead herbage, among reeds and flags, from 

 eight or ten yards to a distance of forty yards from the 

 water's edge. The frequent passage of the birds to and 

 from their nest to the water, produces a path or track, by 

 which the nest is sometimes discovered. 



The eggs are usually two in number, but Mr. Audubon 

 mentions, in his account of this species, that three eggs are 

 sometimes deposited. These are of a dark olive brown, 

 with a few spots of umber brown ; the length of the egg 

 three inches six lines, by two inches and three lines in 

 breadth. The female when on her nest lies flat upon her 

 eggs, and if disturbed by the too near approach of an in- 

 truder, makes her way to the water by scrambling, sliding, 

 and pushing herself along, occasionally running with the 

 body inclined forwards ; the thighs being closely attached 

 to the hinder part of the body, the motion is principally 

 confined to the tarsi and toes. The water gained, she 

 immediately and invariably dives, rather than flies off, 



