386 TRANSACTIONS, NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 



The contents of the stomach, the greater portion 

 of which I have mounted for convenient examina- 

 tion by you, are very interesting. In addition to the 

 usual feathers, j)reened from the body of the bird 

 itself, the stomach contained a quantity of greenish- 

 vegetable matter, which still tinges the feathers in 

 spite of much soaking in water. It also contained 

 what I consider to be a very unusual object for a 

 Grebe to have swallowed, — a strip or shaving of 

 resinous wood cut by a joiner's plane. This shaving 

 of pine wood, which the bleaching has not restored 

 to its normal colour, was coiled in circles taking the 

 form of the interior of the stomach. It was lined 

 on the outer rim with a coating of feathers closely 

 matted or felted together, and the coils enclosed a 

 ball of feathers which had probably been previously 

 in the stomach. The shaving measures rather over 

 6 inches in length, and is folded longitudinally 

 throughovit in three parts of about equal breadth. 

 Its greatest ^vidth is about 3^ inches. The Tvood 

 along the edges of the folds is considerably ^vorn 

 by the action of the stomach, and as now^ extended 

 to its full length it shows these Avorn parts in 

 apertures of various dimensions. The shaving had 

 probably become i)liable by contact with water 

 before the bird s^vallowed it. 



The \vebs on one of the feet have evidently been 

 wounded, and a rudimentary or additional mem- 

 brane of considerable size has been developed in 

 the x^rocess of healing. 



The Grebe is of an extremely shy and retiring 

 disposition, making its nest in the lone and sedgy 

 nooks of our inland lochs ; and although the habits 

 of few of our birds are more remarkable than those 

 of the Grebe, its movements cannot in any sense of 

 the term be called ^picturesque, nor are its actions 

 performed by choice in the presence of man whom 

 it seems to shun. It is but a poor walker, its legs, 

 which have to perform the double duty of tail and 

 legs, being inserted almost at the extreme end of 



