URINATORID.E — TIIK LOONS — URIXATOIl. 



459 



:1. Clai)- 

 as abvin- 

 ; is also 

 he other 

 , as well 

 (' ill iiui- 

 luouths 

 tiii's in 

 of the 

 ■aU'H, as 



spnuK 



(lirautl 



iiumaturc 



uie l)ii'*ls 



is never, 



example at San Diego; and Dr. ('oojjer piomired another — a fine male — at Santa 

 Barbara, in 18(i.'{, as late as April 1'7. 



Mr. E. Adams found it ipiite eommou on tlie sh»>-es of Norton Sound (" Il)is," 

 1878). The first example arrived there M.iy 21, an<l soon afterward most of tiio 

 liirmn' lakes had at least one pair of them as tenants. Tliey seldom went out to 

 sea — and then a])parently only for the purpose of feeding — Imt were eontinually 

 flyiiif,' aliout the marshe.s, and diviii},' and sereaming ujion tlie lakes, lie descriltes 

 tliis Loon as being a ''eomplete .Moeking-bird " in its imitation of harsh .sounds, its 

 cry resembling by turns the squalling of a cat, the barking of a dog, the shrill laugh 

 of a man, or the (piaeking of ii Duck; and sometimes all these sounds are united in 

 one loud scream, as the bird dives into the lake in play. The nests were numerous, 

 and generally placed (piite close to tin; water, on the Itanks of tlie lake. They con- 

 sisted merely of a little loos«' grass in a hollow ; a few were more carefully formed, 

 though iKuie Avere lined with feathers or down. 'I'he eggs were two in number, of an 

 olive-greenish color, thinly sj)otted witli dark brown. 



Mr. Bannister found this species abundant on the Island of St. Michael's. Mr. 

 Dall .speaks of it also as l)eing comni'm at the mouth of the Vukoii. A single speci- 

 men was iwocured on the rai>ids of the Yukon in tluly, 18G7. Mr. Dall also found it 

 very abundant at Amchitka, in July, where it was breeding. It was seen nowhere 

 else in the Aleutian chain, and there it is only a summer resident. Six or eight were 

 observed cat a time in the harbor of Amchitka, (piite bold, and usually ai»pearing in 

 the early morning or the dusk of evening. Crossing tlie island, ^Ir. Dall observed 

 a female witli one young bird swimming in a pool of fresh water. Alarmed at liis 

 approa(!li, the mother settled down into the water until only her neck apjieared above 

 tlie surface, when the little one immediately took up its ]>osition on her l)ack. Wish- 

 ing to jirocure the plumage of tlu' fledgling, he shot the young bird and picked it up. 

 Just then the male arrived from tlu; coast with a small fish in his mouth, intended 

 for the young bird. Xot .seeing it, he uttered a nunirnful cry, which was replied 

 to by the female, who had remained in the pool without attempting to esca}ie. For 

 some minutes tliese cries were kept up, when both birds took wing and disai)peared, 

 still uttering low moaning cries. 



According to ^Ir. Swinhoe, several of these birds wander down during the winter 

 to the coast of Formo.sa from the north; but very few show any indications of the 

 IJed-throat, nearly all being in their winter plumage. 



Mr. II. Whitely obtained a single examjde of this species at Ilakodaili, Japan, in 

 January; and Mr. Swinhoe has since met with it there in May ("Ibis," Ajtrii, 1874). 

 It is given by ^Ir. T. L. I'oAvys as oci'urring sparingly on the coast of Kpirus and 

 All)aiiia in winter. 



Mr. C. A. Wright ("Ibis," ]8(U) mentions it as occasional at Malta. Schembri 

 saw one in 1839, and another in 1841 ; and four l>ir(ls in imiuature plumage were 

 taken at Gozo in the winter of 18r>8-18r)0. 



Mr. Wheelwright states that it is common in Lapland during the summer, Vmt not 

 nearly as much so as the Black-throated species, in the midland districts. Both of 

 these Divers are said to cover up their eggs when they leave their nests, in the 

 manner of the Grebes : but this cannot be always the case, as in every instance 

 Mr. Wnieelwriglit foiind the eggs uncovered. Tlie :>ressrs. Godnian also speak of it 

 as being abundant in Norway during the summer months. Almost every pond and 

 small lake had its pair, and many eggs were collected. 



Professor Newton states that this sjiecies breeds in Spitzbergen as far north as the 

 Seven Islands, lat. 80" 45'. Eggs from Depot Holm and other places were obtained 



