Ornithological Notes. By George Bolam. 365 



man off the rocks to the north of the pier. A mature female shot in the 

 river Blyth was recorded by Mr Balmbra in the Newcastle Weekly 

 Chronicle of 29th November. 



The instantaneous manner in which so large a bird as the Great 

 Northern Diver can disappear under water, and the rapidity and power of 

 its movements below the surface, require to be seen to be appreciated, for 

 even at close range it can sometimes dive at the flash of a gun, and before 

 the shot has time to reach it, with as much ease as the smallest Grebe, and 

 the distance often travei'sed before it will again come to the surface, is 

 truly surprising. 



Writing in the old days of flint guns. Colonel Hawker in his work on 

 shooting tells us that Dun-birds and various kinds of Divers are so quick 

 on the water that "they will very often what is called duch the fiafih, that 

 is, pop under water like a dobchick, and completely escape the shot": and 

 after mentioning various methods in use for shooting such birds, such as 

 firing at their heads the moment they come np, putting a shield of 

 pasteboard before, or a cover over the gun-lock so as to hide the flash in 

 the pan, etc., ends up by saying that " after all the best recipe is to have 

 a good detonating gun." These birds have, however, become so thoroughly 

 acquainted with the " detonator," and have so quickened their powers of 

 diving, that they would now be able to make light of any such clumsy 

 contrivances for hiding the preliminary flash of the flint gun, the discharge 

 from the muzzle being at the present time usually sufficient warning to 

 enable them to duck in time to "completely escape the shot." 



Black-throated Diver. Colymhus arcticus, Linnaeus. 

 Along with the other Divers this species appeared towards the end of 

 autnmn 1890, and was several times met with upon the coast during the 

 winter. A young example, in my collection, was shot in Berwick Bay, on 

 23rd October, and with a glass we identified several others from the pier 

 during the next few weeks, generally more or less closely associated with 

 Red-throated Divers. The last seen, of which I lind a note, was just off 

 the mouth of the Tweed on 10th December. 



Red-throated Diver. Colymbus septentrionalis, Lir 

 Prom October onwards, till well into the spring of 1891, this species 

 was unusually abundant, at first appearing in considerable parties, and 

 afterwards scattered along the shore in twos and threes. An adult 

 female, which still retained hei- full breeding dress, was shot by my 

 brother along with the Black-throated Diver above alluded to, on 23rd 

 October, and is also in my collection. The whole of the feathers of the 

 under parts were stained a dirty yellowish colour, evidently from the 

 nesting place having been on the banks of some peaty loch ; for as is well 

 known these birds are quite unable to walk, and can only travel to and 

 from their nests by pushing themselves along upon their bodies ; in this 

 way quite a channel being sometimes formed to and from the water's 

 edge by the time the eggs have been a short time sat upon, and of course 

 the plumage becomes much soiled in consequence, 



Iv 



