311 
I The Loon 
lous care, and dressing each feather with oil from the gland above the 
base of the tail, it finds time to play, for, although a veritable savage, 
the Loon is possessed of social instincts and often indulges them. 
Frequently little parties of two to half a dozen or more may be seen 
racing across the water. Flalf fiying, half swimming, they dash over the 
smooth water at great speed, forward and back, again and again. Some- 
times one or more may chase another, which dashes onward and suddenly 
I plunges beneath the water to escape pursuit ; perhaps, it suddenly re- 
, appears close to another bird, which, catching the spirit of the play, acts 
as if seized with panic, and rushes away, pursued by others of the party. 
While at these sports Loons may be very noisy or nearly silent. 
A LOON’S HOME ON LAKE UMBAGOG. MAINE 
From the Group in the American Museum of Natural History, New York 
The voice of the Loon is loud, and of volume sufficient to ring above 
the din of storm ,and surf, or to echo far and wide to its family or 
friends over the wide lake, or across spaces of the boundless sea. Its 
calls are varied, fitting its different moods, and expressing no mean 
range of emotions. Like some other birds, this one is decidedly inquisi- 
tive, and may be decoyed near an ambush by alternately waving and con- 
cealing a small cloth on a short rod. It is said that anything, as a small 
mirror, that will reflect a flash of light will also attract it, and an imita- 
tion of its voice will frequently have the same effect. 
The beautiful plumage of the Loon has been in demand for millinery 
purposes; and the Indians and Eskimos tan its skin for the manufacture 
