448 



THE DIVING BIRDS — PYOOPODES. 



bird upon luT back, and in tliis jjosition they are canicd alM)iit with hor wliorevur 

 kIu! moves upon the water; they air thuH kept in the rays of the sun. Tliis she 

 eontinues to do lor several days, and until they have f,'rown to a eonsiderablo size. 



The Loon very rarely associates in flo<-k.s, and tlien only api)arently from necessity 

 — as when a limited surfiun; of o\>i'n water e«inipe]s them to crowd together. During 

 the winter, either singly or in i)airs, or in small parties, they are dispersed throughout 

 the United States. Knowing that man is its" mortal enemy, this bird is constantly 

 on the watch. When it meets a jKussing boat it widens tin? distance by immediately 

 steering off, is active in diving, and when sitting, (h'ties the keenest sportsman. It 

 is a very hardy bird, and is said to live to an incredible old age. Giraud states that 

 in 184.'! an individual was killed on the ejustern end of Long Island, in whiidi was 

 found the heail of an Indian tile, conKned in the back of the necik, betwecm the 

 l)one and the .skin. The wound was completely healed over, and had tlie appearance 

 of having been made a long time before ; and it was supposed by some that the wound 

 nnist have been received before the settlement of the country. 



The fl(>sh of this bird is tough, hard, and unpalatable ; but it is not infrequently 

 eaten by the fishermen. 



The Loon subsists almost entirely on fish, is an excellent diver, and when alarmed, 

 eludes pursuit by passing swiftly to a considerable distance under the water. Its 

 habits are strictly a<piatic. When, in its migrations, it passes over the land, it flies 

 at a gn'at height and very rapidly. In stormy weathei- it takes shelter in coves and 

 creeks, and occasionally in mill-ponds. 



llearne, in his "Journey to the Northern Ocean," speaks of the Loon as being 

 common in Hudson's Hay. It is very seldom found there near the sea-coast, but 

 more fretpiently in fresh-water lakes, and usually in pairs. It makes its nest on the 

 edge of a small island or on the margins of lakes or i)onds, laying only two eggs ; 

 and it is very common to find that a sheet of water is in exclusive possession of ono 

 pair and their young. 



This bird is universally known near Hudson's l>ay as the Loon ; and it is some- 

 times found so large as to weigh fifteen or sixteen jiounds. The flesh, though black, 

 hard, and fishy, is generally «'aten by the Indians. It can swim with great swiftness 

 to a considerable distance under water, and when it comes to the surface riirely 

 exposes more than the neck. It takes wing with difticulty, flies heavily, though 

 swiftly, and fre(piently in a circle round those that intrude on its haiuits. Richard- 

 son speaks of its cry as being loud and melancholy — not unlike the howl of a wolf, 

 or, at other times, the distant scream of a man in distress. He caught several in 

 nets, in which they had entangled themselves when in pursuit of fish. 



Mr. ]{. F. Goss, of Southern Wisconsin, writes me that this bird begins to arrive 

 early in the spring, as soon as the ice fir.st breaks uji around the shores of the lakes 

 and streams. During their spring migrations they are sometimes seen in large Hocks ; 

 but most of these pass to the northward, only a few remaining through the season to 

 breed. The Loon is formed for swimming and diving — the conformation of its h'gs 

 being such that for it to stand on the land is nearly impossible ; but in its home 

 on the water it is a graceful and beautiful bird, swimming with the greatest ease, 

 and diving in the most snrj)rising manner. It can swim to a great distance under 

 the water, sinking silently and without a|)parent effort ; and its reapi)earance will be 

 looked for in vain, even on one of our laige lakes, where the view is unobstructed and 

 the water smooth. It builds its nest altout the 20th of ^lay. This is sometimes 

 constructed on a musk-rat's mound, but usually on a small bog, close to the edge, 

 where the bird can slip direcrtly into the water ; it is composed of mud, moss, and 



M^ 



