ORDER PYGOPODES. 
Fam. PODICEPITIDZ. 
766. Popiceps crisratus, D. Great Crested Grebe. 
The Crested Grebe is common on all our vleys. It breeds in 
companies, six or eight nests generally appearing within a few 
yards of each other; these are built on the water—a mere flat form 
of sedge, generally damp throughout ; indeed, we remarked that 
every egg taken by us at Zoetendals Vley was wet. This might 
have been caused, however, by the wet water-weed with which each 
bird carefully covered her eggs as we approached the nest. We 
watched three birds perform this manceuvre through our binoculars. 
They slid off their nests and rapidly picked up the floating weed, 
which they carefully disposed over the eggs, so as completely to 
hide them from view. We examined some fifteen or twenty nests, 
each one of which was thus covered. We never found more than 
three eggs in each nest, of a dirty chalky texture. Axis, 2"; diam., 
17’. ‘he bird feeds on small fish and water-insects. Mr. Pratt 
shot a specimen near Pretoria, and Mr. Ayres has met with it once 
in the Transvaal. He says: “This bird was brought to me alive 
one day in April by a Caffre; he stated that he had chased it 
amongst the reeds in shallow water, and so caught it. It is the 
first specimen I have met with in the Transvaal.” Mr. Andersson 
writes: ‘I have only observed this handsome species on the sea- 
coast, chiefly at or near Walwich Bay, and there by no means 
numerously. It is seldom that more than three or four of these 
Grebes are seen together, and generally not so many. They are 
rather wary, but may nevertheless be successfully surprised if the 
sportsman is acquainted with their habits. Not unfrequently they 
may be seen asleep on the water, when, of course, it does not 
require much art to secure them. It is, however, a bad plan to fire 
at them in such a position, as there is then but a small portion of the 
body exposed to view ; it is best to startle the birds lightly, when 
they immediately stretch forth their long necks to the full extent, 
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