BIRDS OF THE MARSH AND LAKE 389 



often seen to be barely raised above the surface 

 of the water, and it seems that, if the tide rose ever 

 so httle, tlie eggs must be inundated. But this 

 rarely happens. Sometimes the reedy structure is 

 balanced on the partly submerged branches of a 

 fallen tree, and these rise with the current, so that 

 the nest is still held clear of the water. But even 

 where the foundation is fixed, the Moorhen has 

 resources in reserve to evade the oncoming flood. 

 In these times of stress she has been known to 

 remove the eggs to the bank, and then both parent 

 birds have been seen busilv engaged in adding 

 fresh material to the nest. Later, the hen has 

 carried the eggs in her bill and replaced them in 

 the raised structure where they might now rest high 

 and dry. 



Of the five species of Grebe which are included 

 in the British list, two only, the Great Crested and 

 the Little Grebe, can be described as familiar birds 

 upon English meres and marshes. 



Of the remaining three, the Red-necked Grebe 

 is a more or less irregular winter visitor, and has 

 never been known to nest in this country. The 

 Sclavonian Grebe is a northern species, visiting 

 Scotland at times in considerable numbers, but to 

 be accounted little more than a casual straggler to 

 southern Britain, and the Eared Grebe, a southern 

 race, distinguished by its slightly upturned bill 

 and the patch of reddish-gold feathers behind the 

 ear, occurs still more rarely. 



The Grebe family have certain characteristics 

 which set them apart from all other British birds. 



