PODICIPID.E — THE GREBES — DYTES. 433 



Mr, Proctor, who visited Iceland in 1837, found this Grebe there frequenting the 

 fresh water, and breeding among the reeds and the ranker herbage. The nest is 

 large, and floats on the surface of the watei*, with which it rises and falls, being com- 

 posed of a mass of reeds and other aquatic plants. The eggs vary from two to four 

 in number, and when just laid are of a bluish-white color ; but they soon become 

 stained by the materials of which the nest is composed, and changed to a dirty yel- 

 lowish brown. In size the egg is 1.75 inches long by 1.25 in breadth. The young 

 birds when first hatched are covered with gray-colored down. When the old bird is 

 alarmed by the approach of an intruder, she instantly dives, but reappears at the 

 distance of about thirty yards. Mr. Proctor mentions that, having observed one of 

 these birds dive from the nest, which he killed as it arose, he was surprised to see 

 two young birds, that had been concealed beneath the wings of the parent, drop upon 

 the water. In several other instances he found these birds diving with their young 

 under their wings, these being placed with their heads toward the tail, and their bills 

 resting upon the back of the parent bird. 



Mr. George A. Boardman informs me that he has noticed similar habits in the 

 birds of this species, which are not uncommon in the summer in the vicinity of Mill- 

 town, N. B. In the summer of 1873 he obtained a female with a brood of chicks. In 

 swimming about in the lake the parent carried her young about with her on her back, 

 the purpose of this being apparently to enable the young birds to have an opportunity 

 of sunning themselves, as has been observed to be the habit of the common Loon in 

 reference to its young. This species of Grebe is common near Calais, Me., through- 

 out the year, occurring in the winter where there is open water. 



In Scandinavia Mr. Wheelwright found this species sparingly distributed over the 

 whole country, from Gottenburg up to East Finland and far into Norway. It is not 

 very common in Sweden, but breeds there in the reedy parts of shallow water. 

 Middendorff includes it in his List of the Birds of Siberia, where it is found in the 

 wooded districts. 



Professor Eeinhardt mentions the occurrence of a single bird of this species, in 

 iiiimature plumage, in the southern part of Greenland. Captain Blakiston obtained 

 specimens of it on the Plains of the Saskatchewan, and also about Hudson's Bay. 

 Mr. Bernard Boss met Avith it on the Mackenzie River ; Mr. Murray cites it as occur- 

 ring on Lake Winnipeg and Hudson's Bay ; and Mr. Kennicott obtained it on the 

 Bed Eiver of the North. Mr. Dall killed a number of this species at Nulato, in May, 

 1868 ; but it was not very common in that region. One specimen obtained was a 

 female Avith one egg well developed in the ovary. He obtained a parent with her 

 two eggs from an Indian at Fort Yukon, in June, 1867. It is not otherwise referred 

 to in the notes of explorers in the Arctic Regions, though Sir John Richardson states 

 that it is very common in the Fur Countries, frequenting every grass-bordered lake. 

 Its shy and retiring habits render it a bird not readily noticed. It is given by Mr. 

 R. Browne as one of the birds of Vancouver Island. 



This Grebe is quite common in the fall in the Boston market, the specimens being 

 usually in an immature plumage. 



According to Giraud, it is quite common in and about Long Island. It is well 

 known to the hunters of that region under the name of the "Hell-diver" — an 

 emphatic mode of indicating its wonderful powers of disappearance under water. It 

 is usually found in the submerged meadows ; and when surprised, avoids pursuit by 

 diving. Its food is chiefly fish, and its flesh is said to be very unpalatable. 



■Mr. J. A. Allen met with this Grebe in the valley of Great Salt Lake, in the 

 month of September. 



VOL. II. — 55 



