LITTLE GREBE. 139 



decaying vegetable matter aud the soil from the feet of the 

 bird ; by hatching-time they are frequently of a dirty clay- 

 brown. The female is very careful of her eggs, and seldom 

 leaves them without covering them over with some of the 

 vegetable substances by which she is surrounded ; and the 

 Author agreed with Mr. Selby that the object in thus 

 covering the eggs is concealment, and not for the purpose 

 of preserving temperature during incubation. The young 

 when first hatched are dark brown on the head, neck, and 

 upper surface, streaked longitudinally with yellowish-brown 

 on the neck and back, the forehead and cheeks dark slate- 

 grey, the bill pale rose-colour, the under surface of the 

 body silvery- white. They take to the water very soon, 

 swimming about with the parents in pursuit of aquatic 

 insects and other food ; or diving to avoid danger, with all 

 the apparent facility and confidence that usually attend long 

 practice. 



The following graphic description is given in a letter 

 addressed by Mr. Chas. Thurnall to Mr. F. Bond, dated 

 Whittlesford, August 27th : — " I saw a rather interesting 

 sight on the river this morning. A Dabchick hatched two 

 eggs this day week and two the next day; w^ell — I was sitting 

 in the boat at the junction of two streams, keeping quite 

 still, when I heard what was evidently the alarm note of 

 some bird sounding like ichit or wit, sometimes repeated twice. 

 Whilst peeping about to see what bird it could be, the dog 

 pricked up his ears and shewed signs of something appear- 

 ing in the rushes, and immediately two little Dabchicks 

 shewed themselves between the rushes aud the boat. On 

 seeing me they dived and came up again amongst the rushes : 

 I pushed the boat gently towards them, wishing to catch one 

 for stufling, when the alarm was sounded and sundry splash- 

 ings took place at the stern of the boat ; I then saw the old 

 bird about a yard off. On remaining motionless some little 

 time, the young ones swam into the middle of the stream 

 and remained there for a minute, when the same note was 

 sounded and the old one appeared to rise from the bottom of 

 the river close to them. She swam a few feet, the young 



