194 Field and Forest Rambles. 



The geese, mistaking my dog for a fox, would often approach 

 quite close to him in a defiant way. But more inquisitive 

 even than a woman is the red-throated diver. These birds 

 are sometimes a positive nuisance, coming in from miles round 

 to look at a canoe, and then circling, chattering and shrieking, 

 around it. On the plains I have brought them up from 

 a great distance by standing on a hummock and shouting and 

 waving my hat. Although there are great numbers of them, I 

 could not find a nest. They are called ' wobbies ' by the fisher- 

 men, who often catch them in their nets. On the high rocks 

 on the north shore of the island, incredible quantities of 

 sea-birds hatch — cormorants, gulls, puffins, sea paroquets, and 

 pigeons. These birds all live sociably together. Hundreds 

 of them lay their eggs side by side on the same ledge of 

 rock, and may be seen seated in front of them in rows like 

 soldiers. On one occasion, when I fired a shot to alarm them, 

 the number that rose was so great that for a minute or two 

 I could hardly see the sky, and their droppings in the water 

 resembled a heavy shower of rain or hail." Both the divers 

 before mentioned breed in the lakes of the province, arriving 

 just as the ice commences to break up. I have seen many broods 

 of the great northern diver, but rarely more than one young one 

 was observed with the parent, although the usual number of eggs 

 seems never less than two. The chick remains for a long 

 time with the parent, and is seldom fully fledged and able 

 to fly until towards the end of September ; however, what it 

 wants in this respect is made up by activity in the water. 

 During my excursion to the Schoodic lakes, in the adjoining 

 state of Maine, as the canoe was gliding along the surface of 

 Grand Lake, among the numerous islets where the loon breeds, 

 we were attracted by the loud calls of two of these birds, 

 which were accompanied by a young one, not larger than a 

 teal. It was an interesting sight to observe how the parents 

 attempted to defend the object of their solicitude, by redoubling 

 their cries, and making vigorous efforts to outstrip our light 



