GREAT NORTHERN DIVER OR LOON. 47 
scrambling and sliding manner, pushing herself along the ground. On 
gaining the water, she dives at once, emerges at a great distance, and 
very rarely suffers herself to be approached within gunshot. Some- 
times they swim so deeply immersed as scarcely to be perceptible, and 
keep as much as possible among the rushes and other water plants. 
When the eggs are on the eve of being hatched, the mother, when dis- 
turbed, often cries loudly and dismally for some time, but seldom flies 
off. At other times, when I found the eggs to have been recently laid, 
the bird, on reaching the water, and diving, swam lightly, flapping its 
wings, drank once or twice, and moved about at a respectful distance. 
On such occasions, should you persist in watching it, it rises on wing 
and flies off. Should you not mark the spot in which the nest is, but 
leave it to go in pursuit of the bird, you may search for hours before 
finding it, for the path leading from the water to it is generally covered 
over by the herbage. Once while approaching a spot in which I knew 
a Loon to be engaged in forming her nest, I was disappointed at not 
finding her at work: her keen sense of hearing had apprised her of my 
purpose, and cunningly must she have slipped away, for, on finding her 
absent, although I had not heard any noise, I happened to look toward 
the water, and there she was, gliding off in the quiet manner usual on 
such occasions. 
The young of the Loon are covered at birth with a kind of black 
stiff down, and in a day or two after are led to the water by their 
mother. They swim and dive extremely well even at this early stage 
of their existence, and after being fed by regurgitation for about a fort- 
night, receive portions of fish, aquatic insects, and small reptiles, until 
they are able to maintain themselves. During this period, grey feathers 
appear among the down of the back and belly, and the black quill- 
feathers of the wings and tail gradually elongate. They, are generally 
very fat, and so clumsy as to be easily caught on land, if their retreat 
to the water be cut off. But should you miss your opportunity, and 
the birds succeed in gaining the liquid element, into which they drop 
like so many Terrapins, you will be astonished to see them as it were 
run over the water with extreme celerity, leaving behind them a dis- 
tinct furrow. This power of traversing the surface of the water is 
possessed not only by the young and old of this species, but by all 
other kinds of swimmers, including even Gallinules and Coots. When 
