Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-28
THE WARY LOON
Bird With a Demons Voice That Can
Dodge Bullet.
THAT is his REPUTATION IN MAINE
He is Very Shy, but Friendly With
WeII-Meaning People.
A LOON IN CAPTIVITY


parison with him the Wild goose is tame
and prosalc. and even the Wild swan in an
his graceful beauty makes an impression
on the beholder less vivid and enduring
| There is a reserve and mystery about the
| loon, wonder in his strange JOURNEYS be-
| meath the wave. his vanishings and reap
| pearances, that set him apart from the
other birds of the air and waters and in
| vest him with a weird interest. He has
| none Of the gregariousness OF the other
waterfowls. but swims by himself or with
| his mate, and often the only token of his
presence to the camper by the forest lake
| is his doleful. unearthly Shrek from the
| darkness a sound that has been compared
| to the cry of soul in hell-fire. Seen anoat
| upon the water. the loon is a regal-looEing
| bird, with colors scarcely matched 10y those
| of any other fowl In the combination OF
| simplicity with striking effect. An imperial
purphsh sheen crowns the deep blush
green hue OF head and neck. with silver
| band; the black bill. the splendid body
markings in black and white the fierce,
| keen eye, with iris vivid red, the proud
alert carriage of the head. are unique and
| fitting features in this lonely haunter Of
Fatal Curiosity.
While the loon Is proverbiaIly one of the
shyest of birds. so wary that II Is next to
Il
gun, he has an instinct of curiosity that
will draw him very near to a boat at rest
on the water in which the occupants make
no movement TO alarm him. The fisher
man, with his boat at anchor or drifting
idly on calm water. is sometimes half start
led on looking suddenly round to find loon
watching him intently with fiery eye few
yards away. AT his movement the bird dis
appears, but If he remain quiet the bird will
come again and stay near him for hours.
During the present summer and fall Sal
mon Blanchard, who lives a mile above
Sebec village. being afflicted with lameness
which hinders his working on his farm has
been in the habit of fishing almost daily
from a boat, which he anchors off the
mouth of Bear Brook Cove. In this way he
has come to make friends with a loon that
has regularly visited him and kept HIM
company at his fishing. Though the bird
on the farmers arrival at the cove may be
nowhere in sight, he sooner or later APP
pears, coming by the underwater route,
and taking his station half dozen car
lengths from the boat watches the fisher
mans luck with the ivelest interest.
Sometimes a gull or two join the party,
sweeping round over head ready to snatch
up a. disabled fish or discarded bait and
later coming to rest on the surface. where
they float watching the fishing with an in
terest apparent The looms. The bird 5
confidence has been gained by the farmers
friendliness, and with him they exhibit but
little Of their usual shyness.
Whether or not the loon is able to dodge
a rife bullet as many sportsmen affirm,
he is certainly the hardest bird to hit IN
all the category of water fowl. From the
size and beauty of his plumage he natural
ly is sought for by the collectors of bird
specimens who find it a difficult matter to
secure, after long effort, SO much as
single bird. One amateur taXidermist IN
Maine owed the stuffed loon In his col
lection to the discovery by some winter
hunters of the bird frozen in the ice OF a
mountain pond. The loon had evidently
ed ri IN Ia
south and either had paused to rest on
the ice covering the pond the ice had
formed about him. holding him captive as
he hoated on the water. A loon rise
in flight only from the water, being unable
to use his wings or spring aloft from a
solid surface; hence from frozen pond he
Is helpless to escape. Looms have been
captured on land while resting after a long
flight. a happening that occurs most fire.
quently on the arid plains of the west.
where water sheets are few and far aDart
loon taken in this way on the plain east
OF Las Vegas, New Mexico, six years ago
was kept on exhibition in that city for
some time before being liberated to con-
unue his flight to the south. Rarely a
hunter succeeds in killing a loon on the
water with a rife bal OF charge of heavy
shot.
Difficult to Capture Alive.
If the loon IS hard to kill. to capture him
alive in the water is proposition so much
more difficult as TO make the first seem
| fishing guide. accomplished this feat last
year by creasing the birds neck with a
bullet, precisely as wild horses sometimes
are taken on the western plains the ball
being aimed SO As to Craze the vertebras
of the neck stunning without seriously in
lurinS the animal. In company with DR.
E A. Scott of New York. he was coming
down Sebec lake in the steamer Marion
on the return from a fishing trip TO tho
head OF the lake, when in passing the mar
rows loon swan out from A cove into
view. Robbins fired at him with a rife and
the loon tiuttered and splashed the water,
gong round in a circle. showing THAI he
had been hit. The steamer was turned
from its course and the bird taken aboard
without showing resistance. An exariua-
ton showed no place where the bullet had
entered. and II was only after considerable
searching that the spot was found VIII. ra
1t had struck-a Redeemed place Just al the
curve in the back Of the neck which The
bullet had SraZed, CHANGING from the thick
feathers and scarcely disturbing their
smoothness. The bird began 10 struggle
and fight, and was taken into The cabin
Tor safe-keeping. where he made things
lively Tor his captOrs during the res Of
the trip going for them without let-up "a
iast as he could wadde, endeavorinCs TO
pant a stroke with his lance-iike bill
At me landing a bag was procured and
me plrd was maneuvered into IL, and in
TINS way he was carried TO Robbins house
IN FoNcroft, where he was placed in a nen
n! ne look MS captivity easily, showing little
be brought to him. Robbins kept him a
fortnight, and the two got on very good
terms with each other. The looms appetite
showed no signs of abatement, but rather
grew keener, making Il a serious burden TO
feed him. So, as Robbins could not afford
permanently 10 devote his time, and that of
his boy, to the catching of minnows for his
VoracIous captive, he decided to lei him
go, and taking him up the river in a boat
set him into the water over the side. The
looms first act was to dive. Then coming
up he celebrated the recovery of his free
dom with a series of shrieks that womb
have made a college yell seem an under
tone by comparison. He was in no haste TO
leave the river, remaining in the vicinity OF
the town for several days and enIivening
the village nights and mornings with de-
moniac cries. Then one day he Tapped the
water with his wings churning 1t ike the
side wheels of steamer, and padding with
his feet meantime until he had gathered
sufhclent momentum when up he went in
to the air and few as straight as a cannon
ball over the north hills to his old home in
Sebec lake.
No Chance for Pirates Now.