450 
COLYMBIDiE. 
Mr. Proctor found the eggs of this species in Iceland, 
by the margin of a large fresh water loch : he says, 
“ I had often seen one of the birds come into the water 
near the same place for two or three days together, and 
at last found one egg upon the bare ground, a few yards 
from the water, under a rugged bank of broken ground. 
I left the egg, in expectation of another being laid to 
it, but was disappointed; I was fortunate enough to 
find a second nest with one egg. The old bird was 
very shy, and always left the egg on my approach, even 
when I was a great distance off.” 
Mr. Audubon found the eggs of this species in Labra¬ 
dor, during his researches in that country. 
We may conclude, I think, that the Northern Diver 
will in some instances lay two eggs like the nearly-allied 
species, although in the cases mentioned by Mr. Proctor 
there was only one. Mr. Audubon says that among the 
many nests which he examined, he found more contain¬ 
ing three than two eggs. I believe that neither of the 
other species ever lay more than two. 
