390 
DIVERS. 
litter a long-drawn, melancholy scream, like d doh, with a shrill, 
loud, sighing, and rising note. Now and then, as if a call upon 
the parent, the tone is broken almost in the manner of running 
the finger across the mouth while uttering a sound. A young 
bird of this kind which I obtained in the salt-marsh at Chelsea 
Beach, and transferred to a fish-pond, made a good deal of 
plaint, and would sometimes wander out of its more natural 
element, and hide and bask in the grass. On these occasions 
it lay very still until nearly approached, and then slid into 
the pond and uttered its usual plaint. When out at any dis- 
tance, it made the same cautious efforts to hide, and would 
commonly defend itself in great anger, by darting at the in- 
truder and striking powerfully wfith its dagger-like bill. This 
bird, with a pink-colored iris, like albinos, appeared to suffer 
from the glare of broad daylight, and was inclined to hide from 
its effects, but became very active towards the dusk of even- 
ing. The pupil of the eye in this individual, like that of 
nocturnal animals, appeared indeed dilatable ; and the one in 
question often put down its head and eyes into the water to 
observe the situation of its prey. This bird was a most expert 
and indefatigable diver, and would remain down sometimes 
for several minutes, often swimming under water, and as it 
were flying with the velocity of an arrow in the air. Though 
at length inclined to be docile, and showing no alarm when 
visited, it constantly betrayed its wandering habit, and every 
night was found to have waddled to some hidding-place, 
where it seemed to prefer hunger to the loss of liberty, and 
never could be restrained from exercising its instinct to move 
onwards to some secure or more suitable asylum. 
Far out at sea in winter, and in the Great Western lakes, 
particularly Huron and Michigan, in summer, I have often 
heard on a fine calm morning the sad and wolfish call of the 
solitary Loon, which like a dismal echo seems slowdy to invade 
the ear, and rising as it proceeds, dies away in the air. This 
boding sound to mariners, supposed to be indicative of a storm, 
may be heard sometimes for two or three miles, when the bird 
itself is invisible, or reduced almost to a speck in the distance. 
