BIRDS OF MINNESOTA. 13 
that it was always in, or near an opening in the lakes where 
concealment in approaching near enough to secure it was 
impossible. My hope of finding some venturesome individual 
occupying such an opening in the Mississippi, as the Scoters 
had done from winter to winter, was never realized, so the good 
field glass must alone be credited with my observations. From 
the time of my last date, the opportunity to see them was inter- 
rupted by several winters absence, and the places in which I 
had made my previous observations had come to be encroached 
upon by approximate settlements to such an extent as to drive 
them elsewhere I suppose. Iam satisfied that they have been 
seen by others who supposed them to be individuals of another 
species, namely the Red-throated Divers. 
The only mounted specimen that I have ever seen under cir- 
cumstances to make me believe that it had been obtained within 
my province of observations could not be vouched for as having 
been gotten in it, and I have therefore waited some good for- 
tune to learn more about this rarely seen Loon. 
URINATOR LUMME (GuNNER). (11.) 
RED THROATED LOON. 
The Red-throated Loon is a fairly regular winter visitant of 
our domains, and while lacking the necessary positive proof of 
its breeding on the shores of Lake Superior within the borders 
of Minnesota, I have abundant circumstantial reasons for 
thinking it does. 
It has been seen and, if I may trust the popular descriptions, 
it has been killed, several times in the vicinity of Duluth by 
pot-hunters in the period of presumptive incubation, yet I have 
never known of the nests having been seen, and if they have 
been seen they have not been recognized as other than the 
common Loons although those of this species are much the 
smaller of the two. Through exchange, I have come into the 
possession of what are said to be those of this bird. 
There are very considerable variations in the size of the eggs 
of the entire genus, and in those of the Red-throats it is from 
2.60 by 1.70 to 3.00 by 1.90. The color and markings are pre- 
cicsely like those of the other species. I am informed that the 
nests are even less mechanical in their structure, and, like those 
of the others, are quite near the water, to which their beaten 
paths lead from several directions. 
