The Zoologist— August, 1867. 857 



e gg- This from the nest which we had formerly visited on the 

 pontoon, May 16. 



Friday, June 7. — Unsuccessful day after golden plover's nests. 

 Received some kestrel's eggs. 



Saturday, June 8. — Devoted this day to an attempt to obtain a 

 blackthroated diver for stuffing. Went up to Altuacealgach by post- 

 gig, where I received some duck's (Anas hoschas) eggs, taken that da}*-, 

 — probably a second laying, as they proved quite fresh. Arriving at 

 Loch Ehallan, along with a gillie and the keeper, — Mr. Jesse was 

 fishing Loch Awe, — I lay down opposite the island while the keeper 

 and gillie went round the opposite side of the loch. There was only 

 one old bird, along with one young one, when we arrived, swimming 

 on the loch ; presently the other (probably the male) came flying 

 round, and passed within long range of the keeper. "Bang" went 

 that worthy's gun, and the bird dropped to the shot, and received the 

 second shot on the water before he could dive; whether he really 

 was winged or not we could not say, but he certainly was slow in 

 diving: he now, after coming up, moved slowly across the loch 

 towards my ambush, continually uttering a low guttural " gluck ! 

 gluck !" at regular intervals. I fired at about thirty yards distance, but 

 he got under the surface before the shot reached him. We fired 

 together some ten or fifteen shots afterwards, all to no purpose as 

 regards the old birds, as they were now fully on the alert aud dived 

 instantaneously ; the poor young one, however, got a stray shot in 

 the neck, and we picked it up on the shore some little time afterwards : 

 it lived with us till Monday morning, but died early on that day: we 

 would have left it at the loch, knowing that the old birds would be 

 much more wary after losing their young, only we were afraid that it 

 would not survive the wound : we fed it moderately on pieces of fish, 

 and it had a tub to swim about in ; it was amusing to see it peck at 

 anyone who put his or her fingers near it. I have since had it stuffed. 

 We are told that though the female blackthroated diver lays two eggs, 

 more than one young one is seldom seen in company with the old 

 birds, and this instance is certainly in favour of this supposed rule. It 

 was Mr. Wolley's correspondent who told us of this: he has in his 

 time taken scores of their eggs and seen plenty of the young birds. 

 He also told us the following regarding them : if the first laying 

 of eggs be taken, a second couple of eggs may often be laid by the same 

 bird in a week afterwards. The blackthroated diver is more plentiful 

 in Assynt than the redthroated diver, but the latter is more plentiful in 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. II. 2 U 



