THE GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. 225 



proportion upon our eastern coast as the red-throated diver, 

 and appears similarly distributed upon the western. 



Frequenting during summer and breeding for the most 

 part along the ice-bound coast of Labrador and Iceland, it 

 is only in winter that it seeks a refuge from the severity 

 of those regions, and obtains the shelter afforded by our bays 

 and estuaries. 



Vigilant and shy, diving with celerity, and swimming with 

 the utmost rapidity, its watchfulness seldom permits the near 

 approach of any suspicious object, but it at once sinks par- 

 tially and exposes only the line of the back and head over 

 the water ; if pursued it exerts its admirable locomotive 

 power, and advances with immense speed, a consequence at 

 which we need scarcely wonder when we recollect its adap- 

 tation to the element on which it lives. This beautiful adap- 

 tation we observe peculiar to the Divers in the flattened form 

 of the body and the admirable mechanism of the foot, the mem- 

 brane of which can be closed preparatory to each stroke, and 

 the thin knife-like tarsi, which offer not the slightest resis- 

 tance to impede its motion. 



In Dublin Bay the great northern diver is a frequent visi- 

 tant during winter, and there are few days that one or two 

 may not be observed swimming and feeding similarly to the 

 red-throated species. A very perfect adult male in our pos- 

 session was captured on the Wexford coast after a u fresh" 

 from the sea of two or three days' continuance ; its captor ob- 

 served it struggling in the breakers, and after many unsuc- 

 cessful attempts to regain the deep water outside, it was flung 

 exhausted upon the shingle of the beach, and expired after a 

 few struggles. On dissection it was found to have been suffer- 

 ing from an internal wound previously received. 



In conversation with Mr. Glennon on the occurrence of 

 this species, we were informed that in the course of his prac- 

 tice he had received specimens which had been found dead 

 in various inland situations, some at a distance of forty 

 miles from the nearest sea ; on the same authority several of 

 these birds were observed rising from the water, apparently 

 without the slightest difficulty, and flying with rapidity to- 

 wards their great feeding station on the west coast at Achill 

 Sound. A bird of this species at one time in the possession 

 of W. R. Patten, Esq., of Galway, became so extremely tame 

 as to allow of its being earned to a pond in the neighbour- 

 hood, where it dived and disported itself in the most amusing 

 manner, in no instance ever attempting to molest the fish 

 with which the pond was well stocked. Its cry was described 

 Q 



