COLYINIBUS, Tem. and including part of the Linnean COLYMBI. DIVER.
Bill of moderate dimensions, straight, very pointed, compressed ; nostrils basal, lateral, concave, oblong, half closed by a membrane, and pervious; legs placed far be hind, tarsi compressed, the three fore toes very long, and quite webbed, the hinder short, with the loose rudiment of a web ; wings short ; tail very short and rounded.
The species included under this family reside chiefly in the water, and are almost habitual divers. On the land, which they scarcely ever visit but in breeding time, they can with difficulty walk, or hold themselves in an erect position, so that they are then easily caught. They nes tle on small islands or headlands, generally lay two eggs, and devour great quantities of fish and their fry, marine insects, and even vegetable productions. The sexes do not externally differ ; but the markings of the young are very distinct from those of the mature birds, to which they are not assimilated till the third year. Their moult ing takes place only once a-year. Their conformation, as was long since observed by Ray, is admirably fitted for making their way through the water with great expedi tion.
C. glacialis, Gmel. Lath. &c. Great .Vorthern Diver, Greatest Speckled Diver, Great Loon, Inznzer, Inzber, Emmer, Ember Goose, or Great Doucker. tipper man dible almost straight, the under bent upwards, broad in the middle, and channelled beneath ; length of the bill four inches, and from one to four lines, according to the age of the individual. Length of the full-grown individual from twenty-seven to thirty inches; between four and five feet in extent of wing ; and weight from fifteen to sixteen pounds, being one of the largest of the tribe. Frequents the arctic seas of both continents, and breeds among the fresh waters in Greenland, Iceland, Russia, Norway, Swe den, the Hebrides, Orkneys, &c. usually selecting the least accessible spots among the reeds and flags. The eggs resemble those of a goose, and are slightly spotted with black. The female defends her offspring with great boldness, and sometimes makes the intruder repent his rashness. The young occasionally visit the inland lakes
of France, Germany, and Switzerland, but, except during severe weather, they are seldom met with in England. The northern diver is capable of sustaining a lofty flight, but resides mostly on the sea, feeding on sprats, atherines, and other small fish, or fry, on which it pounces or dives with great address and violence. Being easily scared, and instantly taking refuge under water, it is with diffi culty shot ; but it is sometimes accidentally caught in nets, or by hooks, at a considerable depth. Its cry is said to resemble the howling of dogs. Immediately under the skin, there is a layer of fat, nearly an inch thick ; but the flesh is reckoned uneatable. The skin, which is tough, and covered with soft down, is, in some of the northern countries, tanned and used as clothing.
C. septentrionalis, Lin. &c. Red-throated Diver, or Loon, Prov. .Vorthern Darker, Rain Goose, or Sprat Loon. Bill straight, slightly curved upwards, edges of the two mandibles much bent inwards ; length of the bill two inches and ten lines, or three inches. Native of the same cold latitudes as the other divers, with which, also, its habits coincide. The male and female are so constant in their attachment, that if one of them be shot, the other hovers about the spot for days together, and will some times venture so near the sportsman as to share the same fate. They make a howling, and sometimes a croaking noise, which the Orcadians regard as a presage of rainy or stormy weather. They are seldom seen far south, ex cept in very severe seasons; but, in winter, they pretty regularly visit England, Holland, France, &c. In the Orkneys they statedly breed. The nest, which is placed in marshy situations, among reeds and flags, is usually composed of moss and grass, lined with down from the bird's own breast, and containing two very oblong, oliva ceous brown eggs, marked with a few dusky spots. In the harbour of Stromness, this species has been observed to make great havoc among the fry of the coal-fish.