302 THE RED-THROATED DIVER. 



for of five nests, two contained two eggs each, two had three each, and the 

 fifth had three young birds. The eggs measure 3 inches in length by 1| in 

 breadth, and are of an elongated elliptical form, nearly equally rounded at 

 both ends; they are of a deep olive-brown colour, irregularly marked with 

 spots of a darker dull brown. The male incubates as well as the female, and 

 both are extremely solicitous about the safety of their young, which betake 

 themselves to the water on the day succeeding that of their escape from the 

 egg, and are from the first most expert swimmers and divers. Two of the 

 young were shot by Captain Emery, having been easily approached in the 

 absence of their parents, at which he had shot without success, they not 

 having yet learned from experience the danger of the proximity of man. 

 They dived beautifully, and swam with great buoyancy, inclining their necks 

 forwards, in the manner of the old birds. This was on the 5th of July, 

 1833. On the 15th of the same month, Thomas Lincoln and my son John 

 Woodhouse, saw several young ones, which, although quite small, were 

 equally expert at diving. When swimming by the side of their mother 

 they floated high, with the neck quite erect, while the old bird swam deep, 

 with her neck inclined forward. When the little ones dived, they moved 

 under the water like so many turtles, and at last were caught on the bottom 

 of the pond, which was small and shallow, by placing the gun-rods upon 

 them. So averse from moving are the old birds when sitting on their eggs, 

 that they will not bestir themselves until in imminent danger, on which, 

 however, they scramble to the water, dive, and, on emerging, immediately 

 rise on wing without uttering any note. The male only is noisy on such 

 occasions, and more especially when it returns from afar to its mate, when it 

 evinces its satisfaction by calling aloud, as it repeatedly passes and repasses 

 over the spot, and then alights in a pompous manner on the water. 



The sexes differ materially in size, the male birds being much larger than 

 the females, and weighing at an average fully a pound more. These birds 

 are extremely tenacious of life. One which my son shot on the wing fell, 

 dived instantly, and swam to a considerable distance under water, but 

 returned to the surface, back downwards, and quite dead. 



The notes of the Red-throated Diver are harsh and rather loud; they 

 resemble the syllables cac, cac, cac, car ah, carah, enounced in rapid suc- 

 cession. In some instances the young men of my party found that the most 

 successful method of approaching these birds whilst on the water, was to run 

 as fast as possible towards them and shout loudly, for on such occasions the 

 birds dived instead of flying at once, and on emerging again, afforded them 

 much better chances as they took to wing. At certain times, when 

 approached while they have young, they utter a soft plaintive note, which 



