The Great Northern Diver measures two feet and ten inches in length, and four feet six inches in the expanse of the wings; the bill is strong, of a glossy black, and nearly five inches long. It is met with in the north of Europe, and is common at Hudson’s Bay, as well as along the Atlantic border of the United States. It is commonly found in pairs, and procures its food, which consists wholly of fish, in the deepest water, diving for a length of time with astonishing ease and rapidity. It is restless before a storm, and its cry, which foretells a tempest, is like the shrill barking of a dog and maybe heard at the distance of a mile. It is a migratory bird, always departing for warmer regions when its fishing grounds are obstructed with ice. It is difficult to kill these birds, as they easily elude their pursuers by their astonishing faculty of diving. The people of some parts of Russia tan the breasts of this bird, and prepare them in such a manner as to preserve the down upon them; they then sew them together, and sell them for pelisses, caps, &c. The articles made of them are very warm, and perfectly impervious to rain or moisture, which renders them very desirable in the severe climates where they are used. The Greenlanders also make use of these skins for clothing, and at the mouth of the Columbia river, Lewis and Clarke saw numbers of robes made of them. The Laplanders cover their heads with a cap made of the skin of this bird--which they call _loom_, a word signifying _lame_, and which they apply to it because it is awkward in walking. The loon is not gregarious, but, as before said, is generally found in pairs. Its aversion to society is proved by the fact, mentioned by travellers, that only one pair and their young are found on one sheet of water. The nest is usually on the edges of small islands, or on the margin of a fresh-water lake or pond. It contains two large brown eggs. In building its nest, the loon usually seeks a situation at once secluded and difficult of access. She also defends her nest, and especially her young, with great courage and vigor. She strikes with her wings, and thrusts with her sharp bill as a soldier does with his bayonet. It is, therefore, by no means easy to capture the nests or the young of this bird.