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TIIK I)IVIN(J ltll!l)S- I'Vr.OI'ODKS. 



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by tli(> Swedes. A yniiii^' liinl was louml on oui* nl tlif 'riuuisaiiil Ishuitls; and I'ro- 

 l'»'«8(»r Nrwtun saw a pair ol old ones on liiissii, wliit-li ovidciillv Iiad a nest not tar 

 off. It so'iiu'd to lie lucttv p-iicrally, luit spariiii^ly. distriluiti'd lliiiiii^,'liniit tlic 

 wliolt' rcjjion. It is saiil liy l>r. .Maliiij,'n'ii to tct-d its jouii;,' on a sjn'cics ol' Ajma 

 whicli 111' t'oiiiid in plenty in tin- t'lt'sli-watcr pools on tlu' Star I'Mortl. 



Tliis species was Tonnd l»y MiddendorIT iidial)iting tlie finntnis cd' Northern 

 Siberia; and Win llenglin, in his aceoiint of the birds cd' Nova Zendila (•• liiis,'' 

 1S7L'), states that he round it lueedinj,' in Matthews' Straits. 



Aeeording to N'arndl, it is tmly a winter visitant of Knj;land and Ireland, ocenr- 

 ring on all paits of the eoast. .\ lew bieed in the Orkney and Shetland Islands, 

 and probably in other of the northern islands. Uev. Mv. Low, in his " Natural His- 

 tory (d' the Orkneys," aeen.ses it of making' a vast howlini;. and sonietinu's a eroakinj,' 

 noise, which is believed to proj^nosticate rain ; and hence its name of •• |{ain-j;oose." 



.Mr. Kobert Dunn states that these Loons lay their ei,'j,'s so dose to the water's 

 edge that, the bird can touch the water with its bill while sitting. He has inva- 

 riably found the egg not more than three inches from the water's edge, and usually 

 deposited among a few loose stones. 



Mr. llewits(ui speaks id' the cry of this bird as being a loml and sing\dar scream ; 

 .Mr. Itiehard Dann tdiaraeterizes it as very mournful and melamdioly. Puring the 

 breeding-.season. whih' on the wing, the binls fri'ipiently utter a sound like the Wiud 

 /:it/,int-/:ii/:inf ; and l)y this nanw they are known in many parts (d' .Scandinavia. 



Mr. Varrell describes its eggs in his cabinet as averaging I'.C'd inches in length 

 by 1.81' in breadth. The ground-color is of a dark greeiush brown when fn sh, but 

 tdianges a little, and becomes a t hestnnt or dark reddish brown when the egg has 

 been long iiii'ubated. It is rather thickly spotted with dark uudier-brown, 



Aeeording to ,\ndubon, this species begins to breed in Lalirador in the beginning 

 (d' tlune. 'I'he nests consist (d" a few blades cd' grass htostdy ]>ut together, and (piile 

 Hat, and without any down. The male incubates as well as the female. The young 

 birds dive beautifully, and swim with great buoyancy. Hy the hunters and lisher- 

 men on the New England coast this bird is called the "('ape Kaeer." 



Mr. Macl"'arlane observed it breeding in the neighboihood of I'\irt .Vnd'rson and 

 on the Arctic coast. Two eggs found duly L' were on a very small island, about two 

 feet Sfpiare. and so small that one of the eggs was bmnd at the bottom of the lake 

 on the borders of which the nest was situated. This was simply a slight depression 

 in the turf (d" which the island was composed; and otheis were b>uud almost iden- 

 tical in (diaracter with this. This species was not very nunu>rous in the neighbor- 

 hood of Fort Anderson. .Sixteen nests are described by .Mr. .Macl'arlane, in all id' 

 whiidi the ma.ximum uundier of eggs is two. 



It is of occasional occurrence in the interior, on the great lakes, and more randy 

 on smaller ones. These are usually noticed in the fall, are immature spe(Mmens. ami 

 occur singly, rrob'ssiu- Kinnlien procured one in October, IS7.">. on Lake Koskonong, 

 in Southern AVisconsin. 



Tt was met with, and examples secured, on the Liaitl IJiver and ,it l''ort IJeso- 

 Intioii by Mr. Uoiiert Keiinieott; on the .\nilerson Hiver, on Hear liidie. at Korl 

 Simpson, and on I5ig Island by Mr. 11. I!. iJoss ; at Fort Kae by Mr. L. Clarke; on 

 Mig Island by .Mr. .lohn Keid ; on .\nderson Kivcr and the .\rctic coast near its 

 month, on the Uarren <iro\uids, Franklin l>ay, and at Fort .Vnderson, by Mr. MacFar- 

 liuie; at Sitka and .St. Michael's liy Mr. II. .M. iSaninster and Mr. Charles IVa.se; on 

 the V\ikon Kivcr by Mr. Dall: and at Fort Keuai by Mr. I'isidiolT. 



The eggs of this speides in the .Smith-soniun culli'vtion are from (ire;it .Slave Lake, 



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