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Show since they cannot "take off" except from water. In New England the southern migration is about at its height in October. A poet has concisely con-cisely described the overground migration of the bird as "the sure, swift flight of loons". Words would hardly improve this description. The nest is nothing but' a mere depression hidden on the bank of a lake or stream. Sometimes it is lined with finer grasses. It must be close to the shore because the birds are almost helpless on land. In the water they more than make up for this land handicap. There are usually 2 eggs, each about 3 inches long, highly variable in color and either spotted with drab brown or plain. Both sexes take part in the 4-vveek 4-vveek incubation period, and the downy chicks are dark gray above and drab. The young take to the water soon after they are hatched but they are guarded jealously by the parents who become greatly excited when any sign of danger is to be found. In spite of the noisy behavior of loons at some times, they may vanish from sight quickly quick-ly when they wish to do so. The National Wildlife Federation Federa-tion and similar conservation or-banizations or-banizations are greatly interested in careful observation of all forms j of wildlife about whose genuine value there may be any question. The red-throated loon would come under this heading unquestionably. E. Laurence Palmer TTTTTTTTTin Red-Throated Loon 01952 National Wildlife Federation Ked-Throated Loon The fact that a bird has a wide range for its species does not mean necessarily that it is correspondingly correspond-ingly well known. The red-throated loon ranges during the year from the Aleutians to Greenland and south to Florida and Lower California Calif-ornia and yet most people go through their lives without ever seeing or hearing one of these birds. The red-throated loon, with a length of 27 inches overall, is some 5 inches shorter than a full grown common loon. It lacks the conspicuous con-spicuous black head and neck band of the common loon though it is white beneath and has the breast striped with black and white. The throat of the red-throated loon has a conspicuous chestnut triangle at its lower edge. In winter the bird is dusky above. The sexes are col ored alike. Breeding of the red-throated loon takes place frorq "-northern Alaska and the western Aleutians south to northern British Columbia Colum-bia and east t& Greenland, Newfoundland New-foundland and Quebec. It also breeds in Europe and Asia. Our winter range of the species extends ex-tends south to Florida and the region re-gion of Lower California nearest to the United States, for the most part. The red-throated loon has been suspected of feeding on fish eggs and it is known to make a large part of its diet of fish which it catches by diving and pursuit underwater. un-derwater. Because of these habits it has been considered as undesir- ; able, but what would a summer be in the wilds of Canada or northern United States without the opportunity oppor-tunity of listening to some loons "talk things over" on the other side of the lake in the middle of the night? j During migration the birds have a remarkably strong direct flight, j If through accident or otherwise 1 they happen to come to earth in migration, they probably will end j their days where they come down |