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ORDERS OF BIRDS— WEAK-WINGED DIVERS 
dots. The breast is pure white, and the jet- 
black back is marked by rows of rectangular 
white dots, or broken bars. The legs join the 
body far down, near the tail, and when the bird 
takes to the land, it rests on its feet, the lowest 
joint of the legs (tarsi), and the tail, which lies 
flat upon the ground. 
Either on land or water, this Loon is a very 
showy bird, and also a bird possessing many of 
the mental traits which when combined form 
what we call “character.” Usually it is very 
wide-awake, suspicious, and difficult to approach ; 
but there are times when it will approach danger 
as if bent on suicide. Its cry is loud and far- 
reaching. Sometimes it is like a distressful 
howl, and again it resembles wild, uncultivated 
laughter. It is an expert diver and fisher, and 
in summer is at home all over the upper two- 
thirds of North America, breeding from our 
northern states to the Arctic Circle, quite across 
the continent. In winter it migrates south- 
ward to the Gulf and the Mexican boundary. 
Its eggs are two in number, of a dull green 
color. The newly hatched birds are covered 
with black down, and in travelling the mother- 
bird often swims with them upon her back. 
The Loon rises from the water with considerable 
effort, and flies heavily, but in migrating its 
powers of flight *are sufficient to carry it wher- 
ever it wishes to go. 
In the Potomac River, and along the Virginia 
coast, this bird is called the “War Loon.” 
THE CLIFF-DWELLERS OF THE SEA. 
There is a Family of weak- winged birds whose 
members are all fisher-folk, and live high up on 
the ledges of the bold and precipitous cliffs 
which hem in the northern oceans. They are 
sociable birds, and where not destroyed by man, 
live in great companies varying from hundreds 
to thousands. They form, as a whole, a great 
and diverse company, divided into twenty-two 
well-defined species. Collectively, they are 
known as the Auk Family, and include 4 puffins, 
6 auklets, or little auks, 5 murrelets, 3 guille- 
mots, 2 murres, 2 auks, and 1 dovekie. 
Whenever you visit Alaska, or the arctic re- 
gions, almost anywhere on salt water, you will 
be surprised by the abundance of the birds be- 
longing to this Family. Wherever rocky cliffs 
rise out of blue water, you will find them ten- 
anted by these interesting creatures. Doubt- 
less, also, you will find that w r hen such great 
gatherings of bird-life are to be studied and re- 
corded, one good camera is better than ten guns. 
Like the Aztecs who, like eagles, built high 
up in the crevices of the rock-cliffs of the gloomy 
Canyon de C'helly, to be inaccessible to the 
hostile enemies who gave no quarter, for similar 
reasons the feathered cliff-dwellers of the sea 
build in similar situations. Dearest of all spots 
to the nesting sea-bird is a precipitous islet of 
rock rising out of the sea, wholly inaccessible 
to the prowling wolf, fox, and wolverine, and 
if not actually inaccessible to man, at least so 
very difficult that he looks for easier conquests. 
But let it not be understood that the birds 
of the Auk Family confine themselves to high 
cliffs and precipices. On the contrary, they 
congregate in thousands on rocky ridges, or on 
the tops of sandy hills — called dunes — at the 
sea-shore, where their nests are easily accessible 
to all their enemies. Just why their enormous 
colonies do not attract foxes and wolves by 
hundreds, we cannot imagine, unless it be for 
the reason that the general abundance of ani- 
mal life dulls the edge of appetite and enter- 
prise. 
To any one interested in sea-birds, of which 
there is really a great variety, a trip to Alaska 
is replete with interest. Within a few hours 
after leaving Seattle, or, let us say at Port 
Townsend, the bird-life around the ship fairly 
compels attention. A flock of gulls fly so close 
to the rail of the hurricane-deck that some of 
them might be caught with a dip-net. Pigeon 
guillemots, and ducks of several species afloat 
on the cold waters of the Sound ostentatiously 
swim out of the steamer’s track. On the ocean, 
it will be strange if an albatross does not sail 
out of space, and with far-stretching wings 
swoop and soar, and sail after you, hour after 
hour, without once flapping its wings! 
In Bering Sea, no matter where you land, the 
chances are that thousands of murres and 
puffins are there to greet you with noisy cackle, 
and spread a cloud of wings overhead when you 
disturb them. Really, the rookeries of Alaska — 
of seals as well as birds — are alone sufficient to 
repay a trip to that arctic wonderland, aside 
from the wonderful scenery, flora, and big 
