212 Allen's naturalist's lidrary. 



refuge of the Grebes on the approach of danger, and their dark 

 breeding-plumage effectually harmonised with their surround- 

 ings, as they dived out of danger and re-appeared amidst the 

 shelter of the water-plants. The bright colour on the base of 

 the bill often proved the easiest mode of detecting them. 



As a rule the nest was placed on the fringe of the reed-beds 

 skirting the lake, and the eggs, when first laid, were left exposed, 

 or were but scantily covered. One nest which I found, with 

 the full complement of eggs, was so thickly covered with wet 

 water-weeds and rushes, that the eggs had to be felt for 

 beneath it, and for some time I thought that the birds had 

 deserted them, as they were always cold, and showed no signs 

 of incubation, though day by day they became more and more 

 discoloured. The constant presence of a pair of birds, how- 

 ever, in the vicinity of this nest, led me to believe that it was 

 not deserted, and I more than once uncovered the eggs, only to 

 find the wet covering replaced on each occasion. Intent on 

 finding out whether the birds re-covered the eggs on leaving the 

 nest, I approached it cautiously many times, but the Grebes 

 appeared to have always detected my approach, and were 

 placidly swimming in the middle of the lake, as if such a thing 

 as a nest was the last thing in their minds. Once, however, I 

 managed to come down upon it unperceived, when one of the 

 parent birds flew away in a great fright, and no possible time 

 was allowed for it to cover the eggs. They were, nevertheless, 

 completely hidden, not by a few rushes, such as the bird could 

 scrape together in a hurry, but by a dense covering of wetted 

 and rotten weeds. I came to the conclusion that, in this 

 instance at least, the hatching of the eggs would be left to the 

 heat of the sun and the fermentation of the material of which 

 the nest was composed. That this takes place in other 

 countries has been affirmed by Mr. A. O. Hume and other 

 excellent observers. 



The time which the Little Grebe can spend beneath the 

 surface is remarkable. I once drove one of these birds into a 

 ditch about five feet wide, ending in a cul-de-sac^ and felt sure 

 that I should secure it. While standing on the bank, waiting 

 for the bird to appear, I was astonished to see it swimming 

 below me. Having evidently discovered that there was no 

 outlet at the end of the ditch, it turned beneath the water and 



