312 The Loon 



of garments and bags. These people also eat its coarse, rank flesh, a 

 habit which T. Gilbert Pearson says is often indulged in by the natives 

 of the coast of North Carolina. Few, however, of the number killed by 

 white men are eaten. 



The food of the Loon consists largely of fish, chiefly, no doubt, of 

 the smaller and more worthless species. Yet the fact that it is a fish- 

 eater has brought condemnation upon it from fish-culturists, and that 

 without a trial. Of the species, of fishes naturally occurring in a given 

 lake not more than one-half are food-fishes for man, and only one-fourth 

 may be called game-fishes. 



Dr. William C. Kendall, scientific assistant in the United States 



Bureau of Fisheries, has written: "In large lakes 



A Fish-Eater m y observations lead me to believe that it does little 



or no harm. In most lakes salmon and trout are 



mostly too large for the Loon to trouble, and it restricts its diet to the 



smaller, surface-swimming and shore fishes, such as smelts, chubs, etc." 



The possibility that the Loon may render a service to conservers 

 of game-fishes, by holding in check in some degree the destroyers of 

 fish-eggs, or in destroying the fishes affected with contagious gill-fungus 

 and other diseases, has never been considered. Unquestionably it is the 

 weaker specimens of such fishes as are eaten that constitute the greater 

 part of the Loon's diet. On the other hand some, as the suckers and 

 horned pouts, are very destructive to the finest game-species, eating large 

 quantities of their eggs, while themselves of little value as food or game. 



Audubon says of its diet: "Fishes of numerous kinds, aquatic insects, 

 water-lizards [salamanders], frogs, and leeches have 



Varied Diet been found by me in its stomach, in which there is also 

 generally much coarse gravel, and sometimes the 

 roots of fresh-water plants." 



Its diet is thus shown not only to be more varied than most persons 

 acknowledge, but also in this respect it is without doubt beneficial. 

 Aquatic insects large enough to attract the attention of the Loon are 

 predacious, and in some instances demand active measures for their sup- 

 pression in fish-ponds, and in this respect the services of a hungry Loon 

 would be welcome. 



Classification and Distribution 



The Loon belongs to the Order Pygopodcs, Suborder Cepphi, Family Gaviidcc 

 and Genus Garia. Its scientific name is Gavia immcr. It inhabits the northern 

 part of the northern hemisphere, and in America breeds throughout the mainland 

 of Alaska, on the islands of the Arctic Sea, in Greenland, and throughout Can- 

 ada and the northern border of the United States. It winters within the 

 United States and on the adjacent oceans. 



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