196 OUT WITH THE BIRDS 



better say " footed it," for these fellows always 

 patter along on the surface for a time spanking 

 the water with their feet, to gain the necessary 

 momentum to get their planes working. 



Several diminutive pied-billed relatives 

 watched my movements uneasily or dived 

 to reappear in another quarter and ogle in 

 an interested, curious manner. Finally an in- 

 termittent rattling whistle ahead revealed the 

 presence of others of the greibe clan. These 

 chaps were almost strangers; but their long, 

 snaky necks and large size pronounced them 

 Western or swan grebes. In addition to the 

 above, many coots were among the rushes, and 

 either swam off nodding their heads stupidly, or 

 if more hasty means of exit was required, kicked 

 themselves along on the surface, after the man- 

 ner of the grebes. 



So far during the afternoon I had been in 

 three distinct bird worlds; the prairie, the home 

 of the meadow lark, vesper sparrow, Lapland 

 longspur, and horned lark; the shore with its 

 waders, given above; the marsh with its swim- 

 mers and divers ; and now when I emerged drip- 

 ping from the water and entered the shrubbery 

 on a point of the island, I was in a fourth and 



