D I V 
DIVER. A genus of aquatic birds; the cha- 
rafters of which are thefe: the bill is narrow, 
ftraight, and fharp; the upper mandible is longed, 
the edges of each bending inwards ; the noftrils are 
linear; the head is fmall ; the tongue is pointed, 
long, and ferrated near the bafe; the wings are 
lliort; the feet are placed far backwards on the 
body, and near the tail, which is fhort, and con- 
fifts of twenty feathers; the legs are broad and 
flatted; and the claws are wide and deprefled. Of 
this fowl there are feveral fpecies. 
Diver, Northern, This bird meafures about 
three feet and a half in length, and four feet eight 
inches in breadth. The bill is black and ftrong, 
and to the corners of the mouth is four inches in 
length; the head and neck are a deep black, the 
hind-part of the latter being ftreaked with a large 
white band fhaped like a crefcent ; exaflly under the 
throat there is another band ; and both are marked 
with black oblong ftrokes pointing downwards. 
The lower part of the neck is a deep black, tinged 
with a rich purple glofs ; the under-fide of the body 
is wholly white; the fides of the breaft are marked 
with black lines ; and the back, the coverts of the 
wings, and the fcapulars, are black, marked with 
white fpots. The tail is very fliort, and almoft hid 
by the fcapulars, v/hich are dufl<;y fpotted Vv'ith 
white; and the legs and toes are black. 
Thefe birds, which inhabit tlie northern parts of 
this ifland, keep chiefly at fea, and feed on fifli ; but 
naturalifls are not agreed that they breed in this 
kingdom, which they are knov/n to do in Norway, 
where there are many birds common to Scotland. 
Diver, Immer, of Linn^us. This bird, 
which inhabits the feas about the Orkneys, in very 
fevere winters migrates to the more fouthern parts 
of Britain. It lives fo uniformly at fea, thatfome 
believe it never quits the water, and that it hatches 
it's young in an aperture formed by nature under 
it's wing for that purpofe. With refpedl to fize, 
it is larger than the goofe ; the head is dufl<y ; and 
the back, the coverts of the wings, and the tail, are 
clouded with lighter and darker fhades of the fime 
colour. The primaries of the tail, as well as the 
legs, are black ; and the breaft and belly are filvery. 
The flvin of this bird is fo unufually tough, that it 
has been ufed inftead of leather in fome of the 
northern regions. 
Diver, Speckled. This fowl meafures twenty- 
feven inches in length, and it's breadth is three feet 
nine inches ; the bill is three inches, and turns a 
little upwards; and the mandibles, when clofed at 
the points, do not meet at their fides. The head 
is a dufky grey, marked with numerous white fpots ; 
the hind-part of the neck is an uniform grey; the 
whole upper part of the body, and the greater co- 
verts of the wings, are dufky, fpeckled with white ; 
and the lefler coverts are dufl<y and plain. The 
taiJ is compofed of nearly twenty feathers, which in 
fome are tipped with white; the cheeks, and the 
whole under-fide of the body, are a fine glofly 
white ; and the legs are dufky. 
Birds of this fpecies frequent the European feas, 
lakes, and rivers, during the winter feafon ; and, 
near the Thames, they are called fprat loons, be- 
caufe they attend thefe fifh during their conti- 
nuance in that river. 
Diver, Red-Throated. This bird breeds on 
the margins of lakes, in the northern parts of Scot- 
land, where it lays two eggs. It weighs about 
three pounds; it's length is two feet, and it's 
breadth three feet five inches. The head, which 
DOB 
is fmall and tapei-, is of a fine uniform grey colour; 
the chin is of the lame hue; the bill is ftraight; the 
hind-part of the neck is marked with dufky and 
white lines pointing downwards; the throat is a 
dull red; the whole upper part of the body, the 
tail, and the wings, are a deep dufl<y grey; the un- 
der-fide of the body is white; and the legs are 
dufky. 
Diver, Purple-Throated. This fpecies is 
about the fize of the tame duck; the bill is black; 
the front is of the fame colour; the hind-part of the 
head and neck are cinereous ; the fides of the neck 
are marked v/ith black and white lines pointing 
downwards ; and the fore-part is of a gloflfy va- 
riable purple, black and green. The back, thd 
fcapulars, and the coverts of the wings, are black, 
the two former beihg marked with fquare, and thd 
latter with round white fpots ; the quill-feathers arc 
dufky; the breaft and belly are white; the tail is 
fhort and black; and tlie legs are partly dufl<;y and 
partly reddifli. 
Diver, Newfoundland, or Loon. The ex- 
panfion of the wings of this very large fpecies mea- 
fures four feet; the bill, which is black and fiiarp, 
is near five inches long, and terminates in a white 
point; the head and neck are a dufky brown; there 
is a white fpot under the bill; and a circle of the 
fame colour furrounds the neck, below which it is 
greeniflr. The primaries are black, except the ex- 
terior edges, which are white; the breaft and belly 
are nearly of the fame colour; the covert- feathers 
of the wings and back are irregularly fpotted with 
white; the exterior toe is near five inches long; 
and the feet are webbed, in common with all the 
genus. 
DOB-CHICK, or DIDAPPER. An aquatic 
fowl of the diver kind, known among authors by 
the name of colymbus minor, and called by Lin- 
nJEus colymbus auritus. It feldom exceeds fix 
ounces in weight; the beak is fhort, large at the 
bafe, and taperingto the point; the eyes are large; 
and the wings are fmall. This bird, which is not 
furnifhed with a tail, is covered with a thick downy 
plumage, of a very deep blackifh brown on the 
back, but v/hite on the belly. 
The Dob-Chick is of fuch a ftru6lure that it 
moves with more facility under the water than on 
it's furface. It raifes itielf from that element with 
great difficulty; but, wlien it has once gained the 
air, it is capable of continuing it's flight for a con- 
fiderable time. It forms it's neft, near the banks 
of lakes or rivers, of vegetables; the fermentation 
of v/hich, occafioned by the natural warmth of the 
bird, hatches the eggs, even though the water in- 
vades the neft, and thereby keeps them in a con- 
ftant ftate of humidity. 
Dob-Chick, Black and White. This fpe- 
cies is about the fize of the teal. The bill is ftraio;ht, 
fharp at the point, and of a black colour, except 
the edges of the upper mandible, and the root or 
bafis of the lower, which are red. The circle 
round the eye is a bright red; a bare fkin, of a 
fine deep red colour, paffes from the fide of the up- 
per bill to the eye; and above this ddn, on each 
fide, there is a white fpot. The top of the head 
is black, with a greenifh glofs ; the upper fide of 
the neck, the back, the rump, and the wings, are 
a pretty deep black; but the latter are edged with 
white about the ridges or joints; and the tips of 
the middle quills, which are white, form a tranf- 
verfe bar. The covert-feathers on the inner fide3 
of t'ne wings are white; the under-fides of the head 
3 N und 
