Ornithological biography, Vol. 4 (of 5) : $b An account of the habits of the birds of the United States of AmericaAudubon, John James
Science
Ornithological biography, Vol. 4 (of 5) : $b An account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America
Audubon, John James
Birds -- North America
Although it has been generally asserted that Loons cannot walk or run
in an efficient manner, I feel assured that on emergency the case is
very different. An instance which occurred to my youngest son, JOHN
WOODHOUSE, who accompanied me to Labrador, may here be related. One
day, when he was in pursuit of some King Ducks, a Loon chanced to
fly immediately over him within shooting distance of his enormous
double-barrelled gun. The moment was propitious, and on firing he was
glad to see the bird fall broken-winged on the bare granitic rocks.
As if perfectly aware of its danger, it immediately rose erect on its
feet, and inclining its body slightly forward, ran off, stumbled, rose
again, and getting along in this manner actually reached the water
before my son, who is by no means slow of foot. The space traversed
was fully an hundred yards, and the water to an equal distance was
not more than ankle-deep. The bird and its pursuer ran swiftly through
the water, and just as both reached a sudden break about four feet in
depth, the Loon, which had been wounded elsewhere than in the wing,
expired and floated at the disposal of its enemy, who brought it on
board the Ripley; when I entered this anecdote in my journal.
These birds are so very strong and hardy that some of the old ones
remain in Maine and Massachusetts until all the fresh waters are
frozen, first leaving the quiet lakes and ponds, then the slow streams,
and lastly the turbulent pools below waterfalls, which latter they do
not quit until they are overhung by icicles and deserted of fish. On
the other hand, this species returns northward at a later period than
most others that breed in high latitudes. I have witnessed the arrival
of some on the coast of Labrador, after they had crossed the Gulf of St
Lawrence, as late as the 20th of June, after which they had scarcely
four months to seek out a breeding place, lay their eggs, hatch and
rear their young, and with them remove southward, before the rigour of
winter commenced.
The Great Northern Diver is a heavy-bodied bird, and generally swims
rather deep in the water, more especially if apprehensive of immediate
danger, when scarcely more than two inches in height of its back
can be seen above the surface. As its body is more flattened than
that of the Cormorant, this circumstance might seem to favour the
action in question; but other species less depressed exhibit the same
peculiarity; and I have thought that in all of these the internal
structure alone can account for this peculiar faculty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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