176 
or stream. Of all clumsy undertakings, the 
attempt of a loon to fly from the surface of the 
water is the poorest excuse. He cannot spring 
into the air as do many of the ducks, but starts 
apparently with an effort at running on the 
water, making a great splashing and churning 
the water into foam. The wings are vigor- 
ously beating, and after a dash of two or three 
rods the body is fairly out of the water, but the 
tips of the wings beat the surface for at least 
six to ten rods more before the bird fairly flies. 
At least a space of ten rods is covered between 
the beginning of the rush through the water 
and the time when the body is clear from the 
surface by a foot. 
I have heard that a loon could not leave a 
pond of ten rods in diameter, from his inability 
to rise above the borderiug bushes around the 
pond, and I believe it fully. It will cause many 
to speculate and wonder why the loon could 
not go in a circle about a pond, and thereby 
gain the necessary elevation; this would seem 
practicable, but, so far as my observations go, 
the loon seems incapable of advancing in any 
but a straight line. It would be interesting to 
learn from careful experiment if one of these 
birds was incapable of leaving a very small 
pond. 
The loon lays invariably two eggs at a clutch, 
and these are deposited from May Io to June I 
in Michigan. They are from three and a half 
to four inches long, by two to two and a half 
inches in their smaller diameter. The color is 
generally dark and of an olivacious brown, but 
sometimes of a drab color, spotted and marked 
with darker brown. They are handsome, and 
form a great addition to an egg collector’s cab- 
inet. There is an interval of two days betweén 
the depositing of the eggs. The period of in- 
cubation is well over three weeks. 
The young, on their appearance, take imme- 
diately to the water, swimming and diving ina 
manner to convince one that the water is their 
proper home from the first. They quickly 
learn, under the tuition of their parents, to con- 
ceal themselves, and in addition to this are also 
taught to ride on the back of their mother. It is 
most interesting to observe the movements ofa 
family soon after the young appear, and it has 
been my good fortune to twice observe them. 
NATURE'S REALM. 
Nothing could appear more appropriate than. 
the perching of the young ones on the broad - 
back of the parent, presumably the female, and 
in this position I have observed them with great - 
interest as they rode about with perfect security, 
propelled by the tireless paddles of the old bird. 
When the old bird apprehends danger she- 
dives, and the little ones disappear with her. 
It was natural enough that the young should 
attempt to follow their parent’s example, but - 
after hearing that the young ones reappeared 
.with their protector, I was convinced that the 
old one must in some way aid her offspring in 
their flight, as we may call it, through the- 
water. The good fortune came to me at last 
to witness a part of the performance, that por- 
tion that mortals are allowed to see. An old 
bird, accompanied by two young, was seen in 
a little bay on the lake, and we hastened to- 
press her to dive, hoping to secure the young 
for examination after they were left alone. 
When first observed the young were at some~ 
distance from the mother, but were quickly 
brought to her by a warning deep, stridulous - 
note, when she observed the approaching boat. - 
She then lowered her body in the water, and 
the young loons quickly secured a position on 
her back. We now rowed rapidly, when the- 
old bird dived, and we distinctly saw the young 
disappear likewise, each chick evidently having - 
seized hold of the feathers of the mother’s body, 
presumably the tail feathers. It is fair to say 
that the tail feathers are the ones selected as - 
tow ropes by the young, as the little fellows - 
were relatively in the same positions at the old 
bird’s rear when they came up. At least it is - 
fair to judge that the young catch hold of the- 
feathers of the old one to facilitate removal 
from places of danger. 
The expressions, ‘‘to laugh like a loon” and 
‘‘crazy as a loon,” are well known, and both. 
come undoubtedly from the weird, uncanny 
call notes so often heard from the borders ot 
our Northern lakes. These notes often sound 
much like laughter, and one could readily 
imagine that only an insane person could be 
laughing in the night out on the lake. The 
expression, ‘‘silly as a loon,” is not so easily 
accounted for, unless one calls the notes foolish; . 
to me they are soul-inspiring and grand. At. 
