248 cassell's book of birds. 



is observable that the legs of this bird are so constructed and situated as to render it incapable of 

 walking upon them. When the bird quitted the water, it shoved its body along upon the ground 

 like a seal, by jerks, rubbing the breast against the earth ; and returned to the land in a 

 similar manner. In swimming and diving, the legs only are used and not the wings, as in the 

 Guillemot and Auk tribes ; and by their situation so far behind and their little deviation from the 

 line of the body, it is enabled to propel itself in the water with great velocity in a straight line, 

 as well as turn with astonishing quickness.'' The plumage of the Northern Diver is close, and its 

 skin tough, on which account it is much used by the inhabitants of northern countries in the 

 manufacture of comfortable articles of clothing. The flesh is hard and of a rank fishy flavour. 



THE BLACK-THROATED DIVER. 



The Black-throated Diver {Colymbus arcticus) is smaller than the preceding species, but very 

 much like it both in the colour and markings of its plumage. In its nuptial costume the upper part 

 of the head and hind neck are deep ashy grey, the back and wings black, a space upon the back 

 and another upon the hinder part of the wing are spotted with white, while upon the fore part of the 

 wing is another space speckled with blue spots. The side of the neck presents a longitudinal black 

 streak, the fore neck has a transverse white band, and the sides are longitudinally marked with black. 

 The under side is white. During the winter, the head and nape are grey, the rest of the feathers on 

 the upper surface black with white borders ; the lower parts of the body are white, and the sides of 

 the crop striped black and white. In young birds the latter markings are wanting. The eye is 

 light brown, and the beak black. The foot is grey at its exterior, and flesh-red on the inner side. 

 This species is from twenty-eight to thirty inches long and from fifty to fifty-two broad ; the wing 

 measures from fourteen to fifteen inches, and the tail from two inches and a quarter to two 

 inches and a half. The Black-throated Diver is rare on our southern coasts ; on the northern 

 shores of our island it begins to appear about September. The majority of these depart about 

 A-pril, although a few remain to nest in the northern parts and islands of Scotland. We are 

 indebted to Mr. Selby for the following account of its breeding, as observed by himself during 

 the course of an excursion in Scotland. 



"This beautiful species, whose breeding station has never before been detected, we. found 

 upon most of the interior Sutherland lochs. The first we noticed was at the foot of Loch Shin, 

 where we w-ere so fortunate as to find the nest, or rather the two eggs upon the bare ground of a 

 small islet, removed about ten or twelve feet from the water's edge. The female was seen in the 

 act of incubation, sitting horizontally, and not in an upright position, on the eggs. In plumage 

 she resembled the male, and when fired at immediately swam or rather dived off to a short distance. 

 Our pursuit after them was, however, ineffectual, though persevered in for a long time, as it was 

 impossible to calculate where they were likely to rise after diving. Submersion frequently continued 

 for nearly two minutes at a time, and they generally reappeared at about a quarter of a mile's 

 distance from the spot where they had gone down. In no instance have I ever seen them attempt 

 to escape by taking wing. I may observe that a visible track from the water to the eggs was left by 

 the female, whose progress upon land is effected by shuffling along upon her belly, propelled by her 

 legs behind. On the day following (May 31st) Mr. J. Wilson was fortunate enough to find two 

 newly-hatched young ones in a small creek of Loch Craigie, about two miles and a half from Lairg. 

 After handling and examining them, during which the old birds approached very near to him, he left 

 them in the same spot. Accordingly, on the Monday morning we had the boat conveyed to 

 the loch, and on our arrival soon descried the two old birds, attended by their young and 

 apparently moving to a different part of the loch. Contrary to their usual habit at other times, 





