THE GREAT NORTHERN DIVER. 199 



its breast wistfully looking at that element in which it was accus- 

 tomed and wished to move, but appeared quite incapable of 

 transferring itself to it, and, though placed repeatedly upright, it 

 always fell down again on its breast. It was only at length eman- 

 cipated from this helpless state by being placed close to the edge 

 of the water, when, pushing itself along with its wings and feet, it 

 got afloat, and joyfully diving, bid us a long adieu. The mode 

 in which the toes are jointed with the tarsus prevents their being 

 bent forward out of its line ; and the great sharpness, posteriorly, 

 of that member, renders it almost impossible for it to walk ; and 

 this trial of its powers would seem to indicate that it can only rise 

 on its wing from the water. I therefore think it must hatch on 

 low islets, from which, without much exertion of its feet, it could 

 launch itself.""^ 



In October 1840, I was shown, at Florence Court, an adult 

 bird of this species, which had been killed by the blow of a stone 

 in a mountain rivulet of that neighbour-hood, two months after 

 the great hurricane of January 1839 ; — the taxidermist remarked 

 that there was no indication of its having been previously 

 wounded. It was presented by the Hon. John L. Cole to the 

 Belfast Museum. On the day after that hurricane, one was shot 

 in a dock at Riugsend, Dublin. After a gale in March, 1844, a 

 great northern diver was obtained on the river Lagan, above the 

 bridges which span it near Belfast. The species apparently some- 

 times leaves the coast, by choice, for fresh water, as I have seen a 

 fine adult bird, in the highest condition, which was shot on Lough 

 Neagh. One has been killed at Ballibrado, near Cahir, Tipperary. 

 In May 1830, a pair of these divers, both adult, frequented Lough 

 Pea, county Monaghan, where they were observed for some time 

 by Eobert Evatt, Esq., of Mount Louise. 



From the length of time that this species is in attaining full 

 plumage, by far the greater nvunber of birds killed arc immature, 

 but a fair proportion of adult birds relatively to them, visits the 

 coast of Ireland. 



* Loudon's 'Magazine of Nat. Hist.' vol. v. p. 585. 1832. 



