94 



COBBLE. 



sidered the size as essential, may have made the young- of the silvery 

 and herring gulls, the Wagel ; all of which are mottled nearly in the 

 same manner during- the first two or three years. We have seen the 

 young of this species with the dark colour appearing on the back. It is 

 a great enemy to the fishermen ; and will tear and devour the largest 

 from the hooks, when left dry by the ebbing tide.* 

 COBBLE (Colymbus septentrionalis, Linnaeus.) 

 Colymbus septentrionalis, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 220. 3. — Gmel. Syst. 2. p. 586. — Ind. 



Orn. 2. p. 801. 5. — Temm. 2. p. 916. — Mergus gutture rubro, Briss. 6. p. 111. 



3. t 11. f. 1.— Ib. 8vo. 2. p. 390.— Le Plongeon a gorge rouge, Buff. 8. p. 264. 



—Red-throated Diver, or Loon, Br. Zool. 2. No. 240. t. 85.— Ib. fol. 140.— 



Arct. Zool. 2. No. 443.— Edw. t. 97.— Lath. Syn. 6. p. 344. 5.— Pult. Cat. 



Dorset, p. 17.— Wale. Syn. 1. t. 100.— Lewin, Br. Birds, 6. t. 230.- Don. Br. 



Birds, 4. t. 78— Colymbus stellatus, Gmel. Syst. 2. p. 587. 17.— Ind. Orn. 2. 



p. 800. 3.— Maximus caudatus, Baii, Syn. p. 125. A. 4. ?— Will. p. 258. t. 



61. — Colymbus caudatus stellatus, Will. t. 62. — Mergus minor, Briss. 6. p. 108. 



2. t. 10. f. 2. — Ib. 8vo. 2. p. 389.— Colymbus striatus, Gmel. 1. p. 586. 16.— 



Striped Diver, Venn. Arct. Zool. 2. p. 519. 442. — Le petit Plongeon, Buff. 8. 



p. 254. t. 21.— Speckled Diver, or Loon, Br. Zool. 2. No. 239.— lb. fol. 139. t. 



K.— Arct. Zool. 2. No. 441.— Albin, 1. t. 82.— Lath. Syn. 6. p. 341. 3 Pult. 



Cat. Dorset, p. \1 .—Wale. Syn. 1. t. 101.— LeWs Br. Birds, 6. t. 228 



First Speckled Diver, Second ditto, Bewick, 2. p. 189. 191. 



Provincial. — Sprat-Loon. Greatest Speckled Diver. 



This species weighs about three pounds ; length near two feet and a 

 half ; bill black, three inches long, and slender ; irides hazel. The head 

 and upper part of the neck before, cinereous ; the rest of the neck, run- 

 ning up behind almost to the head, is marked with longitudinal dusky 

 and white lines ; on the throat is a patch of chestnut red ; the upper 

 part of the body, wings and tail, dusky ; the feathers of the back and 

 scapulars slightly margined with brown ; the under parts of the body 

 white ; the sides under the wings and thighs streaked with dusky ; 

 vent brown ; legs dusky on the outside, lighter within. 



The bird from which this description is taken, was killed at Hastings 

 in Sussex, in the winter of 1795, at which time a great many were 

 seen on that coast. 



This, like others of the genus, seems subject to some variety ; as we 

 are informed some have the head and chin dotted with brown, and the 

 chestnut mark on the throat extends farther on the neck. Whether 

 this variety is occasioned by age or sex is not ascertained. 



This bird is said to breed in the northern parts of Scotland. In the 

 breeding season it frequents the lakes, making a nest amongst the reeds 

 and flags, and lays two eggs of an ash-colour, marked with a few black 

 spots. It is found in most of the northern parts ; is common in Green- 

 land and Iceland ; in the latter it is said to make its nest amongst the 

 grass on the shores contiguous to the water, composed of moss and 

 grass, and lined with down. 



