CH. I. BLACK-THROATED DIVER. 13 



in an inland lake ; it prefers, and indeed is seldom 

 found except in, lakes which lie in a flat or open 

 part of the country, and which have shallows and 

 grassy creeks, as it feeds more on frogs, leeches, 

 and similar productions of such places, than on the 

 trout that frequent the more stony and deeper parts 

 of the lake. Apparently from the position of its 

 legs and feet, this diver cannot' walk on land, and 

 therefore places her eggs within a very few feet of 

 the water's edge on a flat island where it can reach 

 them hy a kind of waddling, seal-like motion. I 

 never found above two eggs in a nest, and do not 

 believe that they ever lay more, although I have 

 been told of three having been procured. The egg 

 is of a long and regular oval form, and large ; the 

 colour is a fine rich brown gi'een with darker spots. 

 This bird appears to have great difficulty in rising 

 from the water on a calm day, and sometimes 

 nothing will induce it to fly, although when once on 

 wing it flies strong and high. When two or more 

 are in company I have never seen them rise ; they 

 appear then to trust more to diving for safety ; but 

 when a black-throated diver is alone, he will fre- 

 quently take to flight most unexpectedly and leave 

 the loch altogether. Unluckily, the very great 

 beauty of its plumage, and the rarity and difficulty 

 of procuring it, make this interesting bird an ob- 



