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g-Lills, but makes the most clumsy and labor- 

 ious efforts to g-et above the surface; making- 

 a g"reat splashing- and churning- the water in- 

 to a foam. After plowing- along- for two or 

 three rods the body is fairly out of the water, 

 but the wing-s beat the surface for several 

 rods more before the bird fairly flies. I have 

 heard that a Loon could not rise and fly away 

 from a small pond, and I believe it fully, if the 

 pond is surrounded at the water's edg-e with 

 bushes. Many may wonder why the bird 

 does not fly in a circle when rising-. This 

 would seem practicable, but the Loon seems 

 incapable of tui-ning- when it first rises, and 

 at all times flies in a nearly direct line. It is 

 much like a big- war vessel and requires ten 

 times as much space to turn in, relative sip^e 

 considered. It would be an interesting- ex- 

 periment if one of these birds could be placed 

 on a small, bush surrounded pond and find if 

 the bird could leave the water. Sometimes 

 we hear of Loons being- found frozen on the 

 banks of small ponds. Is it not probable that 

 these birds were hemmed in throug-h 

 their inal>ility to navig-ate in small quarters? 

 ^J\vo eg-g-s are laid in a nest, and they are 

 very larg-e, being- nearly, or quite, four inches 

 long^, of an elliptical shape; they are dark 

 colored and spotted with dark or brown. 



