I^O DAVENPORT ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



moil migrant ' ' (Trostler) . Woodbury— Dr. Rich report.? a speci- 

 men taken at Sioux City (West. Orn. v, i, 1900, p. 24). Linn— 

 " tolerably common migrant" (Berry). 



Genus Podilymbus Les.son. 



5. (6). Pod ily minis pod iceps {hmn.). Pied-billed Grebe. 



This familiar little Grebe is by all means the most common rep- 

 resentative of the order in Iowa. It is reported by all observers 

 as common on all lakes, ponds and streams of the state during the 

 spring and fall, and is found nesting in almost any locality where 

 a marsh, pond or slough is to be found in summer. Most gun- 

 ners are familiar with its adeptness in diving, which has gained 

 for it the almost universal name of "Hell-diver." The ne.st is a 

 floating mass of wet, decaying vegetation, in a pond or niar.sh, 

 usually situated where the grass leaves patches of open water. 

 The old bird is very seldom seen near the nest, and the eggs are 

 almost invariably buried in the wet, rotten, nest material. The 

 eggs are six to nine in number, pale blue when first laid, but rap- 

 idly becoming stained a dirty brown. In Winnebago county eggs 

 are laid about June i. However, on June 4, 1897, I saw a Grebe 

 followed by downy young, and the same day took a set of slightly 

 incubated eggs. C. F. Henning records a set of nine eggs May 20, 

 1897 (Boone); and John V. Crone a set of six May 23, 1891, in 

 Palo Alto (Iowa Orn., i, 2, 1895, pp. 44-45)- 



The writer kept two specimens alive for several days at the Sci- 

 ence Building of the University. When placed on the floor they 

 progressed by a series of hops, with breast resting on the floor, or 

 raising the body suddenly, running on the toes, flapping the wings 

 at the same time. They appeared unable to fly up from the floor. 

 In swimming and diving the grebes paddled alternately wnth the 

 legs, the lobate webs on each side of the toes folding together 

 during the forward stroke and opening out with the backward 

 stroke. In dressing the plumage the bird would lie on one side, 

 with one foot out of water, and paddle around in a circle with the 

 other foot. A young bird in the down, which I once caught, 

 appeared very tame, and when replaced in the water made frantic 

 efforts to overtake the boat, "'peeping'' like a lost chick. 



