﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  lOl 
  

  

  the 
  third 
  week 
  in 
  May. 
  They 
  begin 
  to 
  return 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  about 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  September, 
  and 
  are 
  quite 
  common 
  during 
  October, 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  

   passing 
  southward 
  by 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  November, 
  many 
  going 
  as 
  far 
  southward 
  

   as 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico. 
  

  

  Haunts 
  and 
  habits. 
  The 
  Common 
  loon 
  is 
  rarely 
  seen 
  on 
  ponds 
  of 
  less 
  than 
  

   several 
  acres 
  extent 
  and 
  is 
  never 
  common 
  except 
  on 
  the 
  larger 
  rivers 
  and 
  

   lakes 
  where 
  it 
  keeps 
  to 
  the 
  open 
  water 
  and 
  escapes 
  from 
  its 
  pursuers 
  b}' 
  

   diving 
  and 
  swimming 
  long 
  distances 
  under 
  water. 
  In 
  this 
  mianner 
  it 
  can 
  

   elude 
  the 
  swiftest 
  oarsman, 
  but 
  when 
  cornered 
  in 
  shallow 
  water, 
  it 
  takes 
  

   wing 
  and 
  makes 
  a 
  long 
  flight 
  before 
  alighting. 
  Like 
  grebes, 
  it 
  often 
  sinks 
  

   as 
  if 
  a 
  stone 
  were 
  fastened 
  to 
  it 
  and 
  seems 
  to 
  disappear 
  completely, 
  probabh^ 
  

   rising 
  with 
  onl}- 
  its 
  bill 
  out 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  so 
  remaining 
  until 
  its 
  pursuers 
  

   have 
  given 
  up 
  the 
  chase. 
  It 
  is 
  asserted 
  by 
  the 
  best 
  authorities 
  that 
  this 
  

   bird 
  can 
  evade 
  a 
  gunshot 
  by 
  diving 
  at 
  the 
  flash, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  

   this 
  is 
  true 
  when 
  black 
  powder 
  is 
  used, 
  but 
  when 
  a 
  modern 
  smokeless 
  rifle 
  

   is 
  discharged 
  at 
  a 
  loon, 
  he 
  is 
  utterly 
  unable 
  to 
  dodge 
  the 
  shot, 
  even 
  when 
  

   intently 
  eyeing 
  the 
  gunner 
  all 
  the 
  time. 
  When 
  on 
  land 
  the 
  loon 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  

   awkward 
  fellow, 
  as 
  his 
  name 
  would 
  indicate, 
  it 
  being 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  old 
  

   English 
  loom, 
  or 
  lumme, 
  meaning 
  a 
  clumsy 
  fellow 
  or 
  lummox, 
  and 
  probabh^ 
  

   allied 
  to 
  the 
  word 
  lame. 
  He 
  stands 
  with 
  his 
  body 
  erect 
  and 
  his 
  tarsi 
  usually 
  

   resting 
  on 
  the 
  ground. 
  Perhaps 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  more 
  correct 
  to 
  say 
  he 
  sits 
  

   up 
  like 
  a 
  startled 
  woodchuck. 
  He 
  can 
  not 
  walk, 
  but 
  progresses 
  by 
  tumbling 
  

   forward 
  and 
  flopping 
  his 
  wings 
  and 
  pushing 
  his 
  feet 
  in 
  a 
  most 
  ungainly 
  

   manner. 
  The 
  scream 
  of 
  the 
  loon, 
  uttered 
  at 
  evening, 
  or 
  on 
  the 
  approach 
  

   of 
  a 
  storm, 
  has 
  to 
  my 
  ear, 
  an 
  unearthly 
  and 
  mournful 
  tone 
  resembling 
  

   somewhat 
  the 
  distant 
  howl 
  of 
  a 
  wolf. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  penetrating 
  note, 
  loud 
  and 
  

   weird, 
  delivered 
  with 
  a 
  prolonged 
  rising 
  inflection, 
  dropping 
  at 
  the 
  end, 
  

   resembling 
  the 
  syllables 
  a 
  °°° 
  oo, 
  or 
  as 
  is 
  often 
  written 
  o' 
  -o-ooh. 
  Its 
  laughter, 
  

   however, 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  more 
  pleasing 
  quality, 
  like 
  the 
  syllables 
  lido, 
  hoo, 
  hbo, 
  hoo, 
  

   hod, 
  uttered 
  in 
  a 
  peculiarly 
  vibrating 
  tremulo. 
  

  

  Food. 
  The 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  loon 
  consists 
  almost 
  entirely 
  of 
  flsh, 
  which 
  

   it 
  catches 
  by 
  swimming 
  after 
  them 
  beneath 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  

  

  