112 Our Bird Friends. 



attempt to fly awa}' with a voiiiig one only a day 

 or two old. Whether it was one of her own chicks 

 or not I was nnable to determine, because directly 

 it dropped upon the sand it jumped up and ran 

 off as if nothing whatever had happened, and was 

 soon lost to view in the wandering crowd of its 

 kind. 



It sounds strange, I know, to say that some 

 parent birds give their young ones pick- a- backs, 

 but, nevertheless, such is literally the case. I have 

 seen an old Great-Crested Grebe carrying one of 

 its children on its back whilst swiinming away 

 across a broad at great speed. 'Ihc (incstion 

 naturally arises — l)Ut how docs the chick manage 

 to keep its seat { In the most ingenious manner. 

 It seizes hold of a feather or two with its bill and 

 holds on as if it were handling a pair of reins. 



The male members of a few s])ecies, such as 

 Pheasants, Eider l)ucks, and Wild Ducks go off 

 and leave their mates directly they commence to 

 sit, and take no further notice of household affairs ; 

 but the great majority of Ih'itish birds, at any rate, 

 act (piite differently. The male (ircat-( 'rested 

 Grebe makes a model father, and takes charge of 

 the young ones as they are hatched, tlms leaving 

 his wife (juite free to l)estow all her attention on 

 the unhatched eggs still remaining in the nest. 

 Father Moorhens and Coots build spare nests or 

 platforms whilst their wives arc brooding, in order 

 that their dusky little sons and daughters nn\y 



