THE BIRD BOOK 



DIVING BIRDS. Order I. PYGOPODES 



GREBES. Family COLYMBID^ 



Grebes are birds having a ducklike body, but with pointed bills. Their 

 feet, too, are unlike those of the Ducks, each toe having its separate web, and 

 having a broad flat nail. Their wings are very -small for the size of the body, 

 making it impossible for them to rise in flight from the land. They rise from 

 the water by running a few yards along the surface until they have secured 

 .sufficient iieadway to allow them to launch themselves into the air. After 

 ■having risen from the water their flight is very swift and strong. On land they 

 are very awkward and can only progress by a series of awkward hops; they 

 generally lie flat on their breasts, but occasionally stand up, supporting them- 

 selves upon their whole tarsus. Grebes, together with the Loons, are the most 

 •expert aquatic birds that we have, diving like a flash and swimming for an in- 

 credible distance under water. 



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