■"•■«'; ^"Wi" ' 



THE LABRADOR JOURNAL 



389 



will venture to say, on this coast even on the Fourth of 

 July. John and Lincoln returned with a Red-necked 

 Diver, or Scapegrace, Coolidge and party with the nest 

 and two eggs of the Colymbus glacialis.^ This nest was 

 found on the margin of a pond, and was made of short 

 grasses, weeds, etc. ; well fashioned and fifteen inches in 

 diameter. After di'uier John and I went on shore to re- 

 lease a Uria grylle that we had confined in the fissure of 

 a rock; the poor thing was sadly weak, but will soon re- 

 cover from this trial of ours. 



'July 6. John and Lincoln returned at sunset with a 

 Red-necked Diver, and one egg of that bird ; t'ley also 

 found Uria grylle, whose pebbled nests were phced be- 

 neath large rolling stones on the earth, and not in fis- 

 sures; Lincoln thought them a different species, but John 

 did not. They brought some curious Eels, and an Arctic 

 Tern, and saw the tracks of Deer and Caribou, also Otter 

 paths from one pond to another. They saw several Loons 

 and tolled them by running towards them hallooing and 

 waving a handkerchief, at which sight and cry the Loon 

 immediately swam towards them, until within twenty 

 yards. This "tolling" is curious and wonderful. Many 

 other species of water-fowl are deceived by these manoeu- 

 vres, but none so completely as the Loon. Coolidge's 

 party was fortunate enough to kill a pair of Ptarmigans, 

 and to secure seven of the young birds, hatched yesterday 

 at furthest. They met with these on the dreary, mossy 

 tops of the hills, over which we tread daily in search of 

 knowledge. This is the species of Grouse of which we 

 heard so much at Dennysvillc last autumn, and glad I am 

 that it is a resident bird with us. The Larus marinus 

 was observed trying to catch the young of the Eiders. I 

 drew from four o'clock this morning till three this after- 



* Great Northern Diver or Loon, now called Urinator, or Gavia, imher. 

 The other Diver above mentioned as the " Scapegrace " is U., or C, lumme, 

 -E C. 



