THE RED-TimOATED DIVER. 
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siderable height, uttering its peculiar note. Sometimes, on the 
rain setting in, I have seen it Hying rapidly landwards in a 
direct line from the sea, the cry then being something between 
a quack and a croak. 
It is not a very difficult bird to shoot, except when it is 
passing overhead in full flight, and the speed it then attains by 
the rapidly repeated strokes of its wings is apt to be much 
greater than the shooter calculates upon. It is more easily 
driven into shallow water than the Northern Diver, though this 
requires some little practice ; but when once in the shallows, 
the bird is compelled sooner or later to take wing, and as it 
will fly directly seaward, care should be taken to place the 
boat accordingly. If driven far up into a creek, it may gain 
sufficient height to enable it to fly across a point of land, but 
for the first fifty yards at least it keeps close to the water. 
Laying commences about the first week of June, only a few 
hours being bestowed upon the construction of the nest, which 
consists of a moderate accumulation of such materials as 
chance to be nearest, as grass, carex, or rushes ; usually there 
is a slight cavity, but I have seen the eggs upon the grass 
among flat stones without any appearance of a nest. What- 
ever may be the situation, it is always near water, and so 
chosen that the sitting bird has a clear view all round. 
The nest, though not unfrequently found on hohns and 
small islands, is much oftener placed by the side of one of 
those little pools which so often occur far away in the hills 
out of the ordinary track of peat-carriers. Unfortunately, the 
birds habitually resort to the same spot for a number of seasons 
in succession, thus causing the annual destruction of the eggs, 
for which the people are but now too well aware they can 
readily obtain a good price. I never yet succeeded in surpris- 
ing the bird upon the nest, immediate warning of the approach- 
ing visit being conveyed by means of loud cries on the part 
of its mate, which is always swimming about in the neighbour- 
hood, and which I have every reason to believe is the male, 
although many people assert that he also takes his turn upon 
