﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  99 
  

  

  and 
  air 
  sacs. 
  The}' 
  make 
  their 
  nests 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  near 
  the 
  water's 
  edge, 
  

   and 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  two, 
  of 
  an 
  elongated 
  oval, 
  olive 
  or 
  brown 
  in 
  color 
  with 
  

   spots 
  of 
  brown 
  and 
  blackish. 
  The 
  young 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  sooty 
  grayish 
  

   down, 
  changing 
  to 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  belly. 
  They 
  swim 
  about 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  hatched. 
  

   The 
  family 
  consists 
  of 
  only 
  five 
  species, 
  all 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  holarctic 
  realm. 
  

  

  Gavia 
  immer 
  (Bninnich) 
  

  

  Common 
  Loon 
  

  

  Plate 
  2 
  

  

  Colymbus 
  immer 
  Brtinnich. 
  Ornithologia 
  Borealis. 
  1764. 
  p. 
  38 
  

  

  Col 
  vm 
  bus 
  glacialis 
  Delvay. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  285, 
  fig. 
  299 
  

  

  Urinator 
  imber 
  A. 
  O. 
  U. 
  Clieclc 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  No. 
  7 
  

  

  ga'via 
  from 
  the 
  Italian 
  name 
  of 
  a 
  gull, 
  first 
  applied 
  to 
  loons 
  by 
  Forster 
  in 
  

  

  1788; 
  imtner 
  from 
  the 
  Swedish 
  immer 
  and 
  English 
  ember, 
  or 
  immer, 
  

  

  used 
  in 
  composition 
  with 
  goose 
  for 
  this 
  bird, 
  Ember 
  goose 
  

  

  Description. 
  Summer 
  plumage: 
  Head 
  and 
  neck 
  rich 
  greenish 
  black, 
  

   with 
  purplish 
  reflections; 
  small 
  patch 
  of 
  shining 
  white 
  streaks 
  on 
  throat, 
  and 
  

   a 
  larger 
  one 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  neck, 
  consisting 
  of 
  raised 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  feathers 
  

   so 
  that 
  the 
  streaks 
  may 
  be 
  felt 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  seen; 
  upper 
  parts 
  black, 
  with 
  a 
  

   pair 
  of 
  white 
  spots 
  on 
  each 
  feather, 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  sca]3ulars 
  being 
  

   square, 
  or 
  rectangular, 
  the 
  others 
  oval; 
  under 
  parts 
  pure 
  white; 
  sides 
  of 
  

   upper 
  breast 
  sharply 
  streaked 
  with 
  black; 
  a 
  dusky 
  band 
  across 
  the 
  belly; 
  

   bill 
  black, 
  sometimes 
  tipped 
  with 
  yellowish 
  ; 
  iris 
  red 
  ; 
  feet 
  blackish. 
  Winter 
  

   and 
  immature: 
  Upper 
  parts 
  dusky 
  brown, 
  the 
  feathers 
  edged 
  with 
  grayish; 
  

   crown 
  and 
  back 
  of 
  neck 
  blackish 
  ; 
  sides 
  of 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  white 
  mixed 
  with 
  

   grayish; 
  under 
  parts 
  Avhite. 
  

  

  Length 
  31—36 
  inches; 
  extent 
  52; 
  wing 
  12. 
  5-14. 
  25; 
  culmen 
  2.75—3; 
  

   gape 
  4-4.25; 
  hight 
  of 
  bill 
  at 
  nostrils 
  .75-.85; 
  tarsus 
  3-3.5; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  

   claw 
  4.25-5. 
  Females 
  and 
  young 
  have 
  the 
  smaller 
  dimensions, 
  the 
  bill 
  of 
  

   young 
  especially, 
  being 
  considerably 
  smaller 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  adult. 
  

  

  Distinctive 
  marks. 
  As 
  shown 
  by 
  plate 
  2, 
  the 
  Common 
  loon 
  may 
  

   easily 
  be 
  distinguished 
  in 
  breeding 
  plumage 
  from 
  the 
  Red-throated 
  and 
  

   Black 
  -throated 
  loons 
  by 
  the 
  marked 
  difference 
  in 
  coloration 
  of 
  its 
  head 
  

   and 
  neck. 
  In 
  winter 
  plumage, 
  the 
  feathers 
  of 
  its 
  upper 
  parts 
  are 
  margined 
  

   with 
  grayish, 
  while 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Red-throated 
  loon 
  are 
  spotted 
  with 
  white, 
  

   and 
  the 
  Black 
  -throated 
  loon 
  is 
  decidedly 
  smaller. 
  The 
  bills 
  of 
  the 
  Black- 
  

   throated 
  and 
  Common 
  loons 
  are 
  very 
  similar 
  in 
  shape, 
  but 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  