THE LOON FAMILY 



301 



how the eggs ever receive warmth sufficient to 

 hatch them is a mystery. 



Occasionally a clump of rushes with a floating 

 nest breaks loose from its moorings, and floats 

 away. Some friends of mine once discovered 

 a derelict nest, with the Grebe sitting serenely 

 upon it, floating about in Lake Ontario, whither 

 it had evidently been borne on the current of 

 Johnson's Creek. Doubtless it is a real grief 

 to Grebes that they cannot hatch their eggs 

 under water! 



Its prevailing color is brownish-gray, with 

 black throat and chin. Its bill is dull white, 

 with a broad, perpendicular band of black 

 crossing it at the middle, like a rubber band to 

 hold the mandibles together. In size this 

 bird is about as small as a green-winged teal. 



THE LOON FAMILY. 



Gaviidae. 

 The Loon, or Great Northern Diver, 1 is a 



large, showy, black-and-white bird, of such 



COMMON MURRE. 



The Pied-Billed Grebe, also called Dabchick, 

 and Diedipper, is a Pan-American bird, being 

 found throughout North and South America 

 from Cape Horn to the Mackenzie River, and 

 from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Its phenome- 

 nally wide range includes Cuba, several others 

 of the larger islands of the West Indies, and the 

 Bermudas. 



THE LOON. 



striking personality that when once well seen it 

 is not easily forgotten. In bulk it is as large as 

 an ordinary goose, and when standing erect, on 

 land, its height is about 25 inches. Its neck 

 and head are large and jet black, and the upper 

 portion of the former is encircled by a white 

 collar which is formed of upright lines of white 

 1 Gav'i-a im'ber. 



