92 DIVER. 



Speckled Diver, or Loon, Gen. St/n. vi. 341. Br. Zool. ii. No. 239. Id.fol. 139. 

 pi. K.* Id. 1812. ii. 168. A/bin, i. pi. 82. ^ccf. Zoo/, ii. No. 441. Bewick, ii. 

 pi. p. 189. Lew. vi. pi. 22S. Wale. i. pi. 101. Pw/f. Dors. p. 17. O™. Die*. 



SMALLER than the last. The bill three inches long, and tends 

 a trifle upwards, pale horn-colonr, upper ridge dusky; irides fine 

 red brown; the head dusky, dotted with grey; neck behind plain 

 dusky ; sides under the eye, the chin, and throat, white ; fore part 

 of the neck pale ash ; back dusky, with oval spots of white ; sides 

 of the breast and body the same, but the spots smaller, those on the 

 rump and tail minute; breast and under parts white; quills dusky; 

 tail of twenty feathers ; legs brown ; webs and claws pale. 



This bird varies in size; one brought to me in Kent, weighed 

 three pounds six ounces, and every way large in proportion ; irides 

 fine red brown ; across the vent, between the legs, a bar of black ; the 

 tail consists of twenty feathers, dark ash-colour, tipped with white; 

 each feather, from the lower part of the neck behind, quite to the 

 rump, marked near the end, with two white dots, placed obliquely; 

 the rump itself plain. 



This bird is pretty frequent in England ; common on the River 

 Thames, and called by the fishermen, Sprat-Loon ; and in the lower 

 part of Kent, Cobble, and Sprat-Barrow ; being often seen in vast 

 numbers among the shoals of that fish, diving after them, and fre- 

 quently approaching very near to the boats, while fishing; is not 

 seen here in the warmer months, as it retires then towards the north 

 to breed ; said to lay generally two dusky brown eggs, in the grass, 

 about the size of those of the Goose, and marked with some spots of 

 black ; it breeds, among others, between Loch Lomond and Caithness, 

 makes a great noise before storms, and called Fnr-bhuachaille.* 



It is common about the Baltic and White Seas, but not observed 

 in other parts of Russia, yet is a native of Kamtschatka. They are 

 frequent about fishponds, in France; and we have twice had them 

 brought to us, shot at some distance from any large river ; once in 

 January, and another time in February. 



* Tour in Scotland, p. 107. 



