DO J^i I'd- Life hi 



Along the seacoast the bird .seems to be couinioii also, and is 

 often seen either flying high in the air when it much resem- 

 bles a Canada Goose with its long neck and short, tapering 

 wings, or in the water just out of gunshot from the shore. Jt 

 is always a hard bird to shoot, but the natives have a strange 

 theory regarding its diving at the flash. They say that if you 

 can creep up to one without its first seeing you you can easilv 

 shoot it when it is not looking at you. In proof of this a- 

 sertion native gunners, time and again, brought me birds (and 

 I ofien saw them shot at a single discharge of the gun) which 

 they declared were so killed. I, with others, have chased 

 these birds for hours together, in a boat about the harbors and 

 bays, shooting at them as they emerged from a long dive only 

 to redive with a swiftness that continually baffled us. Loons 

 are very common in the early Spring, both flying and in the 

 open water of the bays and harbors or just oft* the islands 

 outside. Strangely enough the natives, who will eat almost 

 anything eatable, Avill not touch the loon, though the young 

 bird is extremely good eating, at least we, who hud been shut 

 up fcr six months of Winter with little or no fresh meat, 

 found them so in Spring. A good number of eggs were re- 

 ported to me \vhile on the coast, though I do not remember 

 positively of seeing any of them. 



RED THROATED DIVER 



Tins species doubtless occurs, though the next, although a 

 very rare bird, is often found in this region. One of the 

 priests from Bersamis informed me that he knew of several 

 captures of the latter. 



BLACK-THKOATED DIVER 



Colyinbus 



SKVKIJAL well-authenticated instances of the capture of 



