GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. 221 



to the shore, where it has to put up with frogs, insects, 

 and such " small deer," in lieu of the fishy diet to 

 which it is accustomed. Stormy weather generally 

 forces the Diver into such straits for subsistence. 



Not that it is afraid of the water, for even in the 

 roughest weather it may be seen sporting amid the 

 waves- with perfect confidence. But in stormy weather 

 the fish descend to such depths that the Diver cannot 

 catch them, especially as the darker surface of the 

 waves prevents the light from penetrating much below 

 the surface. Every swimmer is aware that whereas 

 on a calm day he can, when diving, see objects in the 

 water almost as plainly as if they were on land, even 

 a breath of wind that is sufficient to create a ripple on 

 the surface will cause a comparative darkness. 



Near Oxford there is a well-known "lasher" i.e., 

 an artificial cataract that serves to carry off the 

 superfluous water above a lock. This lasher-pool was 

 always a much-frequented bathing-place, and one of 

 the feats to which we were accustomed was to jump 

 into the middle of the lasher, and be hurled along in 

 the boiling torrent until we came out in the smoother 

 water below. All who have done this have noticed 

 the regular transition from darkness to light. At first 

 the water is so dark that nothing can be seen, the 

 light being kept out by the thick foam on the surface ; 

 but it rapidly improves in lightness, and when the 

 smooth water is gained, the eyes can be used with 

 perfect ease. So, in the case of the Diver, the bird 

 is not daunted by the waves, but it is prevented 

 from seeing the fish at the depths to which they then 

 descend. 



