Penobscot Bay, Maine.
1896
July 15
(no 4)
  I should have mentioned that this nest was not at the
shore of the pond itself but on the right-hand side of
the creek about 50 yards from its mouth. The channel
of open water was here about ten yards wide and
two feet deep but a little further up it narrowed to
but little more than the width of a large brook. As we
were approaching the nest we saw nothing of the Loon
but the eggs were very warm and while we were looking 
at them the old bird showed her head some thirty 
yards up the creek. She thrust it up and drew it
beneath the surface several times without moving her
position but finally she started down the creek
under water making a furrow on the surface precisely
like that of a big fish. We sat still and let her
pass. Her speed was greater than that of an ordinary 
boat but I think that two good paddlers in a
light canoe might have kept up with her. It was
interesting to see how accurately she followed the channel
which was very crooked in places. She made in all a
distance of nearly 200 yards before coming to the surface
well out in the pond where she at once spread her
wings and flapped off to the further shore. She was
an enormous Loon - one of the very largest I have ever
seen. We saw her mate in the pond about half-a-mile
from the nest when we first emerged from the woods.
Neither bird made any vocal sound while we were
within hearing of the pond. We took the eggs of course.
This nest has been robbed twice within a few years, once
by our guide, the other time by his brother. In both
cases two eggs constituted the set. I saw one pair
of eggs (the brother's)