NESTING. 489 



under their tail, as they do on the northern diver and the 

 razor-hill ; therefore it builds its nest in the rushes, or on 

 the sides of fresh-water lakes ; but so close to the water, 

 that the dams can roll themselves down into their proper 

 element from the nest without the help of their legs." 



" When this bird," he goes on to tell us, " is in a sportive 

 humour, it makes a frightful ugly noise, just like the cries 

 of a human creature in imminent danger, and calling for 

 relief. It makes another very different noise, which is a 

 signal to the farmer for fine weather, after a great deal of 

 wet and stormy seasons. At these times they are seen to 

 fly pretty high over their nests." 



The female forms her nest immediately near the edge of 

 the water, and lays two eggs, very similar in colour to 

 those of the northern diver. From actual measurement 

 made by ourselves in many instances, they are from three 

 inches to three inches three lines in length, by from two 

 inches to two inches one line in thickness. It is said that 

 if the female be killed, the male will incubate them. 



Some curious notions, not confined altogether to the 

 vulgar, prevail in Scandinavia respecting this bird. 



" It is known," so we read, " that some species of pre- 

 datory birds do not rear the whole of their young ; but it 

 is probably less known that the like vicious practice pre- 

 vails with the black-throated diver. After having examined 

 eleven of their nests, in none of which the eggs exceeded 

 two in number and in all cases the circumstances were alike 

 one may with tolerable confidence draw the attention of 

 naturalists to the fact of it being the custom of that bird 

 to destroy one of its young. Whether it arises from pru- 

 dence, scarcity of food, or other causes, certain it is that three 



