on the River Annan, in Dumfriesshire, fifteen miles from the sea. It
is common in Caithness. It is most plentiful in H o y , on which island
t h e nests used to he found; also in the Hebrides and Zetland. In
Wales Mr. Dillwyn has recorded its occurrence.
I t appears to be common also in winter in I r e l a n d , on all t h e north,
east, and west coasts, and has been met with at Youghall, in the
s o u t h ; and near Dublin.
T h e proper home of this Diver in winter is the sea-board, but it
not ttnfrequently advances to a considerable distance up rivers. It
has thus been known to pass London ' v i a ' the Thames; but I may.
I think, take it for granted that the j o u r n e y must have been made
d u r i n g the night. In summer they resort to inland waters, seeking
for the quiet of such as are secluded.
They come southwards in October and November, and r e t u r n northwards
early in March.
As many as from twenty to twenty-five or t h i r t y of these Divers,
and all old ones, have been seen together in a liock. Most commonly,
however, with us, small numbers or single birds are to be seen,
' r a r i nantes in gurgite vasto.' They appear not to be particularly
shy.
T h e y fly with r a p i d i t y , with the neck stretched out, and often at
a great height, in the night-time, and also in the day. On the land
t h e y are completely out of their element, being unable either to stand
or walk. They appear to be not indisposed to take flight if pursued,
b u t the other mode of escape is commonly adopted. They dive with
all the quickness of the rest of their tribe, and can advance below
t h e surface to a distance of e i g h t y or ninety yards.
T h e y feed on sprats and other fish, frogs, and spawn, as also, it
a p p e a r s , on portions of plants. 'He fishes alone, and when he is
t h u s employed, and when the sea is running high, he invariably
awaits the approach of t h e gigantic wave; and as it appears about to
b r e a k upon him, he quietly makes his dive beneath it: having done
t h i s with the most graceful ease, he comes up again in a spot where
t h e water is at the moment calm.'
T h e i r note is a wild, loud, and melancholy wailing cry. It has
been expressed by the syllables ' k a k e r a , kakcra.' When much given
u t t e r a n c e to, it is considered to prognosticate rain, from which supposition
one of the provincial names of the bird is derived. Mever
expresses the sound by the syllables ' a h ' or ' e c h .'
T h e situations chosen by this species for laying, are by small pools
on low islands in the sea, the margins of inland lakes, and islets in
them, and watery places on higher grounds.
The uest is nothing more than a few rushes or blades and stalks
of grass, with leaves and moss, mixed, Selby says, with the down
of the bird. It is placed among the stones or gravel close to the
water's edge, so that if need be, the b i r d can slide at once into its
all but native and at all times natural and congenial clement.
The eggs are two in number, and equally rounded at both ends.
They are of a dull brownish green colour, rather thickly spotted
with dark brown.
Male; weight, nearly three p o u n d s ; l e n g t h , two feet and a quarter,
or a little over; bill, dark bluish horn-colour; the upper mandible
is straight, the lower one somewhat angular in the outline; h i s , r e d;
head on the sides and crown, the latter the darkest, and neck on
the sides, bluish grey, variegated with paler spots and lines; neck
on the back, and nape, almost black, but marked with short lines
of white, which give these parts a striated appearance; chin, grey,
also variegated with paler spots and lines. The throat has an angularshaped
dark red, or reddish brown patch, the base of the angle
lowermost, the apex u p w a r d s ; breast, white, the flanks greyish black,
the centres of the feathers darker; back, very dark brown, nearly
black, spotted with white, each feather having a paler margin. The
wings reach, when extended, to the width of three feet five inches;
greater and lesser wing coverts, nearly black, spotted with white;
primaries, black. The tail, dark blackish brown, the tip white; under
tail coverts, w h i t e ; legs and toes, dark brownish green in front, the
former paler behind, and tinged with purple b l u e ; webs, dark brown.
I n the autumn, and also it wrould appear in the spring, the slatecoloured
plumage on the sides of the head, chin, and sides of the
neck, as likewise the red plumage on the front of the throat, is interspersed
with the white feathers; the feathers on the back are also
a mixture of the old brownish grey ones, and the new ones of a
blackish grey, with an oblong white spot on each side of the tip of
the feather.
I t seems, in fact, that this species is subject to two moults in the
year, for it is unquestionable that in some instances, the red throat
is characteristic of the winter, as well as of the summer plumage;
on the other hand, so very many more specimens occurring in the
winter without than with the red throat, would seem to militate
against this, supposition, inasmuch as not all of them can be supposed
to be young birds, at all events not of the year, only two
eggs being laid in the year.
The female is not so large as the male, and the spots on her
plumage are not so distinctly defined. Length, one foot nine inches.
VOL. VI. •