164 OUT WITH THE BIRDS 



little more than half-grown downies. But they 

 all acted the same, and swam and pattered and 

 peep-peeped in distress. The big ones hydro- 

 aeroplaned till their poor wings were tired, then 

 gave it up. Some of them showed a trick seem- 

 ingly unknown to the bluebills. They dived and 

 came up at the shore and crawled out on the 

 weedy mud, or slipped into rat-holes, or under 

 the overhanging banks, and let us go by. But 

 this was only the last resort of the smaller and 

 feebler; the strongest kept together ahead till 

 we rushed them and speeded over their heads as 

 they bobbed and kicked in the weed-tangled 

 stream. 



I could not help noting the cork-like way in 

 which the youngsters popped up after a dive. 

 For some reason none of them seemed able to do 

 the trick of the adult birds, that of submerging 

 the body, or at least getting the back level with 

 the surface, and swimming with the head and 

 neck outstretched. All the ducks can do it, the 

 grebes, of course, are masters at it, and even the 

 big Canada goose can sink himself till he shows 

 little more than a snaky head at the surface of 

 the water. But for some reason, possibly the ex- 

 cessive airiness of their downy coats, or the light- 



