8 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



bird as it is seldom seen on the prairies. Rhoads states that it 

 breeds throughout the mainland of B.C. and on Vancouver island. 



Breeding Notes.— I have found this bird breeding at Long 

 lake, Manitoba, and, like the eared and horned grebes, it often 

 lays as many as seven or eight eggs. I find that all the grebes 

 cover their eggs with weeds during the day, and the weeds are 

 removed at dark by the bird, which incubates the eggs until the 

 morning sun relieves her of her task. {Rmjie.) 



This species commences to build its nest near Ottawa, Ontario^ 

 about the first Aveek in May. The nest is built on the edge of a 

 marsh and is about the size of a bushel basket. It is compos-d 

 of moss, grass, roots and mud. Eggs, five or more in number, are 

 whitish, clouded with green. The nest is ver^^ difificult to find, as 

 the old birds cover it over when they leave {G. R. White.') 



The dab-chick was conspicuous in igo6 in every pond and 

 marsh of any size between Portage la Prairie and Edmonton, and 

 where it was not seen floating about its characteristic " pomp 

 pomp" made its presence known. During the summer we were 

 able to note the gradual de\elopment of the bird from the egg to 

 the full grown specimen and of all the birds noted none attracted 

 more constant attention and interest than the little water witch. 

 I noted that where the birds were in a marsh the young hid them- 

 selves and the parents gradually sunk themselves below the 

 surface of the water and disappeared but where they were found 

 in small ponds with no marsh the parent birds remained on the 

 surface to watch the young and in more retired localities they 

 showed little concern at our presence. In the marshes about 

 Portage la Prairie it is one of the most numerous breeding species, 

 the floating nests being everywhere conspicuous. I have not 

 found this grebe covering the eggs during the day, as recorded, 

 to assist incubation but have regularly noted the bird flap a 

 considerable quantity of the decayed reetl foundation over the 

 eggs as though to hide them when flushed from the nest and I 

 have regularly noted and disturbed the birds sitting on the eggs 

 during the day e\'en while the sun was high and warm. {Geo. 

 Alki?iso/i.) 



Found a nest on a floating mass of dead rushes, in Lake 

 St. Francis, near Summertown, Ont., June 6th, 1903. It held five 



