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The Loons
Loons, while as famous divers and swimmers as the grebes, are not quite so helpless on land, for they use both bill and wings to assist them over the ground during the nesting season, almost the only time they visit it. They dive literally like a flash, the shot from a rifle reaching the spot sometimes a second after the loon has disappeared into the depths of the lake, where it seems to sink like a mass of lead. It can swim several fathoms under water; also, just below the surface with only its nostrils exposed, and progressing by the help of the feet alone. The sexes are alike. They are large, heavy birds, broad and flat of body, with dark backs spotted with white, and light under parts. Owing to the position of their legs at the back of their bodies, the loons stand in an upright position when on land. The voice is extremely loud, harsh, and penetrating.
