GREBES 



over such manifestations of weakness, and is 

 silent enough for anyone. Then he is usually seen 

 " bv his lonesome," out on some body of water, 

 frequently on the ocean, well off the beach, where 

 he can exercise to fine advantage his really great 

 powers of diving. 



Holbcell's Grebes are hardy birds, and often 

 winter as far to the north as they can find open 

 water, and are frequent in winter along our North 

 Atlantic coast. They have a fatal tendency to 

 linger too late in the northern lakes, and thus 

 they get caught in the ice, or, driven to fly south, 

 cannot find open water, and fall exhausted on 

 the land or into snow banks. This is notably 

 the case in the month of Alarch, when they 

 migrate north earlier than is safe. Since they 

 cannot ri:.e on wing except from water, as their 

 wings are small, many of them perish out of 

 their element. It is a common occurrence for 

 farmers and others to pick them up in fields or 

 roads, helplessly waddling about on legs set too 

 far " aft " to make them handv ashore. Rut in 



the water there is no bird more swift and facile, 

 better able to take care of itself, more able in the 

 pursuit of the small fry which constitute its nor- 

 mal nre\'. 



Photo by H. K. J. 



NEST OF HOLBCELL'S GREBE 



HORNED GREBE 



Colymbus auritus I.iinuciis 



A. O U. -Number j .See Color I'late i 



Other Names. — Hell-diver: Water-witch; Devil- 

 divL-r ; Pink-eyed Diver : Dipper. 



General Description. — Length. 14 inches. Color 

 abo\ e, yrayish-brown or dusky-gray ; below, white. In 

 summer, adults have crests or ruffs on cheeks and 

 sides of head. 



Color, — Adults in Sum.mer: Crown, chin, throat 

 and crest, c/lossy grcriiisli-hlack : a stripe from bill 

 through eye and above it, widening behind to nape, 

 hro-,vnish-yclh)w: upper parts, grayish-brown ; feathers, 

 paler-edged ; primaries, dusky-brown : secondaries, 

 zchitc: neck all around (except for dusky stripe behind), 

 sides, and flanks, rich brownish-rufous; rest of under 

 parts, silky-white ; bill, dusky tipped with yellow ; iris, 

 carmine with white ring ; feet, dusky outside, yellow 

 inside. Adults in Winter, and Young : Ruff, obsolete ; 



forehead, crown to level of eyes, a narrow strip down 

 back of neck and upper parts, dusky-gray ; feathers of 

 back with lighter edges ; wings, as in summer ; chin, 

 throat, and sides of head, pure silky-white; front of 

 neck and lower abdomen, washed with gray; bill, dusky, 

 yellowish or bluish-white below. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest : A buoyant platform of dead 

 reeds, grass, and vegetation. Eccs ; 3 to 7. white. 



Distribution. — Northern part of northern hemi- 

 sphere ; breeds from the lower Yukon across British 

 America to southern Ungava and the Magdalen Islands, 

 south to southern British Coluinbia, across United 

 States on about the parallel 45° to Maine; winters from 

 southern British Columbia, southern Ontario, and Maine 

 south to the Gulf coast and Florida; casual in 

 Greenland. 



Horned (irebes are commonly known as 

 " Hell-divers " or " W ater-witches," because of 

 their facility in disappearing and the mystery as 

 to where they go. This species often mvstifies 

 the hunter by sinking slowlv backward imtil 

 nearly out of sight or by diving and disappearing 

 altogether, until the novice is ready to make oath 



that the bird has committed suicide for fear of 

 his deadly marksmanship ; but the ( irebe merely 

 submerges and swims beneath the surface until 

 among the water plants, where it remains se- 

 cure with its beak just protruding unnoticed 

 above the water, or hidden by some overhang- 

 ing leaf. \\'hen wounded it sometimes dives 



