10 NOTES ON THE 
Family URINATORID_ZX (The Loons.) 
URINATOR IMBER (GUNNER). (7.) 
LOON. 
I found this Loon abundantly represented for its species 
when I came to the then territory of Minnesota in 1857, but 
supposed that the general settlement of the country would soon 
decimate them. In this I was mistaken, for there has been no 
diminution of their relative numbers in any general section 
which I know of, while in others, there has been an apprecia- 
ble increase. The earliest openings in the lakes not infre- 
quently are occupied by one of them, and there is no time during 
the entire summer when they may not be seen in those lakes 
known to be their favorite resorts. 'They are not found in the 
smaller ponds ordinarily, preferring those more abundantly 
supplied with fish and offering better security from the hun- 
ter’s gun by its expanse. Their weird, solitary notes, as well as 
their dignified demeanor when undisturbed, give little intima 
tion of their social vivacity after the young have become grown 
and strong. Who would prove this must be willing to quit his 
couch early, before the family has been broken by the depar- 
ture of the male to his solitary haunts and the female has sent 
the young hither and thither in search of their own food, which 
takes place before the sun has been long risen. It has been 
my privilege to witness some scenes of their matutinal jollifica- 
tions, which have always occurred at the earliest dawn, and 
have terminated with the advent of the sun. The night is 
spent in proximity to each other on the water, somewhat re- 
moved from the land. And in the earliest morning the notes of 
parent male soon call out a response from the other members 
of the family, when they all draw near, and after cavourting 
around each other after the manner of graceful skaters for a 
brief time, they fall into line, side by side, and lifting their 
wings simultaneously, they start off in a foot race on the water 
like a line of school children, running with incredible speed a 
full quarter of a mile without lowering their wings or pausing 
an instant, wheel around in a short circle, (in which some of 
them get a little behind) and retrace their course to the place 
of starting. This race, after but a moment’s pause, is repeated 
over and over again, with unabated zest, until by some undis- 
coverable signal it ceases as suddenly as it began. Its termin- 
