THB OOLOOIST. 



27 



tributed is the Pied-billed. 



The color is nearly plain drab-black 

 above, showing brownish shades in 

 winter plumage. 



Below, white, silvery in summer, 

 duller in winter. Bill whitish, more 

 so in summer. 



By the novice the bird is some- 

 times mixed with Gallinule and Coot. 



It may easily be distinguished by 

 the legs placed way back near the 

 tail and by the spot on the bill with 

 a blackish band across the center, 

 most prominent in summer, while the 

 Coot's beak of similar color, has the 

 markings on tip, and the Gallinule's 

 beak shows more or less reddish in 

 life. 



The nests are usually in the water, 

 being floating platforms of flags and 

 weeds moored to the surrounding 

 vegetation. 



The other members of the family 

 within our limits are the slightly lar- 

 ger Am. Eared and Horned Grebes, 

 species whose males have tufts on 

 sides of head, and occur in local col- 

 onies throughout the Great Lake re- 

 gion and the West; the Western and 

 Holboell's Grebes of the Northwest 

 and Canada plains, much larger birds, 

 and last and least, the little St. Do- 

 mingo Grebe of the Rio Grande Val- 

 ley in Texas and southward. 



The Grebes have a habit of cover- 

 ing their eggs with rotting vegetation 

 when leaving them. Some contend 

 that Incubation goes on apace under 

 this cover; others deny this and as- 

 sert that it is simply for concealment. 



Be this as it may, it is a well-estab- 

 lished fact that the eggs of the two 

 larger Grebes are certainly incubated 

 from the time the first one is deposit- 

 ed, as comparatively fresh eggs of the 

 Western Grebe are found in sets con- 

 taining eggs so badly incubated that 

 they can hardly be saved. 



All the Grebes' eggs are i)lain blu- 



ish-white in color, quickly becoming 

 much stained. 



Articles treating the Grebes will be 

 found in Oologisfs Vol. V, pp. 43, 122; 

 Vol. VI, pp. 76, 168, 205; Vol. VII, pp. 

 45, 137, 183; Vol. VIII, pp. 81, 186, 246; 

 Vol. IX, pp. 5, 16. 177; Vol. X, p. 226; 

 Vol. XII, pp. 3. 22, 163; Vol. XVI, pp. 

 132; Vol. XIX, pp. 4, 50; Vol. XX, pp. 

 9, 24; Vol. XXI, p. 101; Vol. XXIII p 

 23; Vol. XXIV, p. 87. 



Large Sets of Least Bittern. 



By RICHARD F. MILLER. 



On June 26, 1907, Mr. Richard C. 

 Harlow and I had a "red letter day'^ 

 with the Least Bitterns in the Port 

 Richmond, Pa., marsh; not that we 

 collected many of their eggs, but in 

 the large sizes of the sets taken. In 

 less than an hour we collected four 

 sets of six and one of seven, the only 

 set of seven probably on record. 



Sets of six Least Bittern's eggs have 

 always been regarded as rare, and 

 neither Davies' or Reed's excellent 

 books mention a set of that numher, 

 but a set of seven we have never 

 heard tell of. 



Naturally, we felt jubilant over our 

 good luck, and I was greatly delighted 

 and exulted over my take of seven, 

 (for I found it), but my exultation 

 turned into chagrin as the water 

 blower cracked the first and second 

 eggs of the set. Discarding that other- 

 wise useful assistance, I blew the eggs 

 in the old and best way yet discov- 

 ered—with the mouth. I have the 

 set of seven straight, and even if two 

 of the eggs are cracked I wouldn't 

 part with that set for "love of money." 

 Nay, nay. Pauline! for sets of seven 

 are of too rare an occurrence and such 

 strikes only happen to a collector 

 once in a life-time. 



To dispel any fears entertained by 

 the incrcdnlons as to the genuineness. 



