56 BULLETIN 107, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
long swim below the surface. When wishing to indulge in an un- 
usual burst of speed, it uses both wings and feet with marvelous 
effect, but ordinarily I believe that the wings are not used. It is 
certainly capable of catching fish without making this extra effort. 
Its diving ability in dodging at the flash of a gun is well known. I 
once saw a remarkable exhibition of this power by a loon which 
was surrounded by gunners in a small cove on the Taunton River. 
There wer six or eight men, armed with breechloading guns on both 
sides of the cove and on a railroad bridge across it, all within short 
range. I should not dare to say for how dong a time the loon suc- 
ceeded in dodging their well-directed shots, or how many cart- 
ridges were wasted before the poor bird succumbed from sheer ex- 
haustion ; but it was an almost incredible record. 
The behavior of loons under certain circumstances shows peculiar 
traits of character; playfulness and curiosity are both highly devel- 
oped. Rev. M. B. Townsend contributes the following sketch of their 
sunrise greeting: 
A beautiful sight was that of three loons facing the rising sun, standing almost 
erect on the water, their great wings vigorously flapping, the sun shining 
full upon their pure white breasts. It seemed almost like an act of religious 
devotion in honor of old Phoebus. 
Dr. P. L. Hatch (1892) relates the following account of another 
early morning performance: 
It has been my privilege to witness some scenes of their matutinal jollifica- 
tions, which have always occurred at the earliest dawn, and have terminated 
with the advent of the sun. The night is spent in proximity to each other 
on the water, somewhat removed from the land. And in the earliest morning, 
notes of the parent male soon call out a response from the other members of 
the family, when they all draw near, and after cavorting around each other 
after the manner of graceful skaters for a brief time, they fall into line, side by 
side, and lifting their wings simultaneously, they start off in a footrace on the 
water like a line of school children, running with incredible speed a full quarter 
of a mile without lowering their wings or pausing an instant, wheel around 
in a short circle (in which some of them get a little behind) and,retrace their 
course to the place of starting. This race, after but a moment’s pause, is 
repeated over and over again, with unabated zest, until by some undiscoverable 
signal it ceases as suddenly as it began. Its termination is characterized by a 
subsequent general congratulation manifested by the medley of loon notes. This 
walking, or rather running, upon the face of the quiet lake waters is a marvel 
of pedal performance, so swiftly do the thin, sharp, legs move in the race, the 
wings being continuously held at about half extent. Soon after this is over, 
the male parent takes to wing to seek his food in some distant part of the 
same or some other lake, which is soon followed by the departure of the 
female in another direction, while the young swim away in various directions 
to seek their supplies nearer the place of nightly rendezvous. 
Curiosity has cost many a loon his life, for it is an easy matter to 
tole one within gunshot range by remaining hidden, and waving some 
suspicious object. The loon can not resist the impulse to investigate, 
