THE LOON. 



(Urinator imber.) 



The Loon is the largest of our diving 

 birds. It is known also as the Great 

 Northern Diver, the Walloon and the 

 Guinea Duck. It is placed number seven 

 in our code of nomenclature of North 

 Amercan birds. The Loon is found 

 throughout the northern part of the 

 northern hemisphere, and in North 

 America it breeds from the northern por- 

 tion of the United States northward. In 

 the winter it ranges southward to the 

 Gulf of Mexico and Lower California. 

 It can be readily recognized in the adult 

 stage by its large size, long, tapering 

 body, and by the intense black of the 

 plumage of the back and neck, with 

 squarish dottings of white standing out 

 in strong contrast. As the bird is formed 

 principally for diving, the legs are short, 

 and strong; set well back in the body, 

 and the tarsus, flattened and quite sharp 

 anteriorly, offering little resistance to the 

 water in the forward strokes. The toes 

 fold in such a manner as to be as nar- 

 row as the tarsus so that opening on the 

 backward stroke, a powerful impetus can 

 be obtained. So quickly can the bird dis- 

 appear that it seems to be under the sur- 

 face of the water before a shot can reach 

 them. 



The wings, very narrow and short for 

 such a large bird, prevent its rising read- 

 ily from the water, and it requires a great 

 deal of flapping and paddling before the 

 bird can take wing, but when once in 

 full motion, especially in migration, 

 which takes place both by day and night, 

 the flight is high and extremely rapid. 



It is said to live to a great old age and 

 as it is continually persecuted by hunters 

 and fishermen who wrongfully accuse it 

 of destroying an unreasonable number of 

 game fish, the bird has become wary and 

 hard to obtain by shooting. Probably the 

 greatest destruction is caused by the bird 

 forcing its neck through the meshes of 



the gill nets of the lake fishermen and 

 being unable to withdraw its head, it 

 drowns. A number which have been 

 taken in this manner are sent to the Chi- 

 cago market each year. 



The cry, weird and melancholy, is well 

 known to the lover of nature, especially 

 those who have lived in Wisconsin. It is 

 described by the Rev. J. H. Langille as 

 follows : "Beginning on the fifth note of 

 the scale, the voice slides through the 

 eighth to the third of the scale above in 

 loud, clear, sonorous tones, which on a 

 dismal evening before a thunderstorm, 

 the lightning already playing along the 

 inky sky, are anything but musical. He 

 has also another rather soft and pleasing 

 utterance, sounding like who-who-who- 

 who, the syllables being so rapidly pro- 

 nounced as to sound almost like a shake 

 of the voice — a sort of weird laughter." 

 Its cry is always loud and melancholy and 

 has often been likened to the howl of a 

 wolf or the prolonged scream of a human 

 being in distress. 



In northern Illinois the Loon was 

 formerly a common summer resident on 

 all of our lakes of any size and nested on 

 Calumet, Fox, and Grass Lakes in con- 

 siderable numbers. As the cities and sub- 

 urban towns and the numerous summer 

 resorts increased, it has been a matter of 

 considerable interest to note how the Loon 

 adapts himself to the changed surround- 

 ings. The poor birds are having a pretty 

 hard time to exist and are now practically 

 driven out or, to speak plainly, almost 

 exterminated, from this beautiful lake 

 region. Ten years ago there were three 

 pairs on Grass Lake and Lake Marie, 

 Illinois. I watched them carefully to 

 find their nesting site. The old birds 

 would lead me here and there, but I could 

 find no nest. Just before dark one night 

 I saw birds arise from the lake and fly 

 northeast; by watching them for several 



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