Birds. 9611 



flatly contradict this, and say that as many adults as young are found 

 along our coast in winter, but young birds are more frequently shot. 

 I know that every tough run I have had after a Colyrabus, if I was 

 successful in killing, proved that I hunted an old bird. In winter 

 I never saw a sunimer-phimaged bird in Dublin Bay of either species, 

 though in April they are plentiful but unprocurable. Did any reader 

 of the 'Zoologist' ever shoot a suramer-pluniaged bird in winter? I 

 never did. The plumage of the redthroated diver is in moult like the 

 northern diver on its first arrival here ; the throat of the adult theu 

 consists of red, white and slate-colour. 1 have seen adults in 

 December with a few red feathers still in the throat; all the rest 

 winter plumage. The plumage of the young in winter is as follows : — 

 November. Top of head and down back of neck lead-gray, marked 

 with black and white, more so towards head ; sides of neck pale brown 

 and white ; chin white ; centre of throat for four inches thickly 

 speckled with brown ; back, scapulars, rump and tail-coverts and wing- 

 coverts bronze-black, a long square spot of ivhite at tip of each fili- 

 ment — this spot is nearly a band on the wing-coverts; irides brown. 

 In January the speckles on the throat are scarcer and rust-colour. 

 The adult in winter has the top of the head and back of neck lead- 

 blue; the back, scapulars, run)p and tail -coverts lead-gray, an oval 

 spot of white at tip of each web ; wing-coverts black, spotted similar 

 to back; thxodii pure white ; irides reddish liver-colour. 



Diving powers of the Colyinbi. — The diving of these birds is most 

 wonderful, but the redthroated diver is far the superior; it is nearly 

 useless to hunt him. The northern diver will often take from two to 

 five hundred yards at a dive, and frequently disappears altogether, 

 though the water be as smooth as a mill-pond. In diving both birds 

 sink their bodies under water, the only perceptible motion being when 

 the head is thrust under, which is so slowly done that the bird seems 

 to glide into the water; neither species throw up the rump like the 

 auks and guillemots. The redthroated diver when fishing in deep 

 rocky water will jump like the cormorants, a deep perpendicular dive 

 being then required. I never saw the northern diver do this. The 

 fastest rower will seldom row down one of these birds, though in some 

 dozen cases I have fairly beaten them in a smart pinit and a straight 

 rage. When the birds take to dodging they are easily enough killed, 

 if the shooter understands the s))ort. As an example of the enduring 

 power of the northern diver, I will copy from ray note-book. Seeing 

 a northern diver at the Muglins I gave him chase ; he took me away 

 at racing speed towards Poolbeg for fully five miles ; he then took to 



