Penoscot Bay, Maine.
1896
July 15
(No 7)
bent gracefully over it although from the creek side
it was wholly open to view and indeed a very conspicuous
object.
  This nest had, also, we were told, been occupied for many
years. Although it is within an eighth of a mile of
a small village & known to everyone living in the
country around we were assured that it has never been
molested. The young had hatched about a week before
our visit and nothing but fragments of the egg shells
& the tough skin that had enclosed the embryos remained
in the nest. We saw one of the old Loons in the
pond but could not find the young although we
followed the shore line closely in a boat & used
our glasses freely.
  I should have noted that this nest like the first
was so situated that the sitting bird could slide
directly from its edge into water two or three inches
deep. This fact leads me to conclude that the reason
why Loons never breed on salt water in probably that,
being unable to walk or fly directly from dry
land, they would be nearly if not quite helpless if surprised
on the nest at low tide!