884 THE irni.r.nF.ij. r.REr.E. 



Bufflelieads, Merganst-rs. and Scmcrs. l)ul he is just a irilU- iiiiire careless 

 than the rest, fni- if the yun s])eaks lie can always dive. 



The adiiii bird tnstoniari!\- ])repares for diving by first giving a little up- 

 ward spring and then turning sudilenly with the body almost clear of the water 

 to shoot down head foremost. It is. jiowever. (|uite as able as others of the 

 family to flash nut of sigiit witlmul tJie spring-l)(iard motion, or else to fade 

 away after the manner nf the polite h'renchnian. Once, upini a i)iece ni inland 

 water I sighted one of these Ijirds at not o\er tliirt\- vards. Really desirous 

 of securing a specimen for the cabinet. I siiot, using duck-shot and an extra 

 rapid smokeless pnwder. The fellow was possessed — not only by "spirits." 

 but In- an inexhaustilile fund uf good nature. f<ir each time I shot he 

 vanished. I know not how. onl\' to reappear inslantlv. unscathed and smiling, 

 to paddle a little nearer. 



Like its cousin, the Western (irebe, ILilboell's is abundant upon Puget 

 Sound in winter, but it is also more coiumonly found upon the larger lakes, 

 weather permitting. It is even more prevalent during migrations, and while 

 not nearly so gregarit»us as the other species, liirds are often of a mind 

 regarding the desirabilitv' of certain stretches of water. Thus, on the lyth 

 of April, 1906, I encountered a scattered flock of over a thousand individuals 

 in the channel off I'ovX Townsend. 



Coiupared with the preceding species these birds are shorter and stouter 

 as to bill and neck, and the\- do not present so fierce an appearance, altho still 

 boasting the carmine e}-e. The neck, also, is never of so [Hire a white in 

 front, and it usually retains a dull rufous wash which further .serves for 

 distinction. 



The nesting range of the llolboell Grelje lies chieflv north of Washington. 

 I have found it nesting only in Lake Chelan and in a small botly of water 

 adjacent thereto, (^wing to the furtive iiabits of the various swamp-dwellers, 

 it is often diflicult to distinguish notes. Init I have attributed a liarsiily raucous 

 caiuack. a':civack caaicuTrack heard in June upon the Pend d'(_)reiile Ri\er 

 to this species. It is generally similar to the yark of the Horned Grebe but 

 has several times the \oluiue. 



Like all others of the grou]), the young of the Holboell Grebe tumble 

 out of the shell into the water, and tlie saturated mass of decayed vegetation, 

 which for a time held the egg, is never known as liome. When the brood 

 is hatched the young birds clamber upon the mother's back and have a ride 

 quite to their liking. Nothing more convenient than this floating palace 

 could be devised: besides l)eing a raft and a diving belli e). it is fitted up 

 with leather-stuffed cushions for repose, and upon it lueals are served 

 frequently, a la Grebe — since it is said the mother can twist her neck around 

 without difficult V and bestow a .selected morsel u])on whom she will of the 

 expectant brood. 



