﻿lOO 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Red-throated 
  species 
  is 
  more 
  slender 
  and 
  is 
  slightly 
  concave 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  

   of 
  the 
  nostrils, 
  which 
  gives 
  it 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  being 
  tilted 
  upward 
  from 
  

   the 
  base. 
  This 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  bills 
  of 
  our 
  two 
  common 
  species 
  serves 
  as 
  

   an 
  excellent 
  field 
  mark 
  by 
  which, 
  with 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  an 
  eight 
  power 
  glass, 
  I 
  have 
  

   been 
  able 
  to 
  identify 
  the 
  Red-throated 
  loon 
  at 
  the 
  distance 
  of 
  half 
  a 
  mile. 
  

  

  Distribution. 
  This 
  holarctic 
  species, 
  called 
  also 
  Great 
  northern 
  diver, 
  

   Diver, 
  Big 
  loon, 
  Ember 
  goose, 
  is 
  a 
  common 
  transient 
  visitant 
  on 
  all 
  

   large 
  bodies 
  of 
  water 
  within 
  New 
  York 
  State, 
  and 
  is 
  often 
  found 
  through- 
  

   out 
  the 
  winter 
  on 
  the 
  larger 
  lakes 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Long 
  Island. 
  In 
  

   1824, 
  according 
  to 
  Audubon, 
  it 
  was 
  breeding 
  on 
  Cayuga 
  lake, 
  and 
  in 
  1844, 
  

   according 
  to 
  DeKay, 
  on 
  Raquet 
  lake. 
  Roosevelt 
  and 
  Minot 
  record 
  it 
  as 
  

   common 
  in 
  Franklin 
  county 
  up 
  to 
  1870. 
  Merriam, 
  in 
  1881, 
  called 
  it 
  a 
  

   common 
  summer 
  resident 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  region, 
  and 
  in 
  1883 
  found 
  it 
  

   fairly 
  common 
  at 
  ist 
  Lake, 
  where 
  a 
  nest 
  with 
  partly 
  incubated 
  eggs 
  was 
  found 
  

   on 
  June 
  loth. 
  According 
  to 
  Davison 
  it 
  formerly 
  bred 
  on 
  the 
  southern 
  shore 
  

   of 
  Lake 
  Ontario, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  find 
  satisfactory 
  evidence 
  of 
  

   its 
  nesting 
  there 
  in 
  recent 
  }'ears. 
  As 
  a 
  summer 
  resident 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  confined 
  to 
  

   the 
  secluded 
  ponds 
  and 
  lakes 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondacks, 
  being 
  most 
  numerous 
  in 
  

   the 
  western 
  and 
  southwestern 
  parts 
  of 
  that 
  region. 
  During 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  

   1905, 
  we 
  failed 
  to 
  find 
  it 
  on 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  in 
  Essex 
  coimtv, 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  

   were 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  Franklin, 
  St 
  Lawrence, 
  Herkimer 
  and 
  Hamilton 
  counties, 
  

   where 
  they 
  still 
  breed. 
  Mr 
  L. 
  L. 
  Merriam 
  writes 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  still 
  a 
  common 
  

   summer 
  resident 
  on 
  many 
  lakes 
  north 
  of 
  Beaver 
  River. 
  

  

  Migrations. 
  The 
  spring 
  migration 
  of 
  the 
  Common 
  loon 
  begins 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  

   April 
  in 
  the 
  southern 
  and 
  western 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  It 
  becomes 
  quite 
  

   common 
  by 
  the 
  middle, 
  or 
  third 
  week 
  of 
  April, 
  and 
  is 
  often 
  seen 
  migrating 
  

   by 
  day 
  at 
  a 
  considerable 
  elevation, 
  either 
  singh^, 
  or 
  in 
  small 
  companies 
  

   of 
  6 
  to 
  15. 
  On 
  one 
  occasion 
  the 
  writer 
  saw 
  26 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  passing 
  over 
  

   Canandaigua 
  lake 
  in 
  a 
  scattered 
  company 
  steering 
  toward 
  Lake 
  Ontario. 
  

   According 
  to 
  Dutcher 
  they 
  leave 
  Long 
  Island 
  in 
  June. 
  They 
  are 
  often 
  

   seen 
  on 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  and 
  the 
  larger 
  inland 
  lakes 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  the 
  20th 
  of 
  June, 
  

   but 
  b}- 
  far 
  the 
  larger 
  portion 
  have 
  passed 
  on 
  to 
  their 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  b}- 
  

  

  