GREBES 23 



SO as to be entirely hidden from view. These eggs measure 

 1.75x1.20, 1.74x1.22, 1.82x1.19, 1.76x1.19, 1.78x1.19 

 inches. Though sometimes nests seem to be made of material 

 brought to the spot by the birds, more often they seem to select 

 some naturally accumulated mass of vegetation which they 

 hollow out and make appropriate additions to until their fancy 

 is suited. While the birds are not often observed unless very 

 carefully hunted for during the nesting season, their presence 

 on any given body of water is easily ascertained by the ear, 

 after which careful search will result in seeing them. They 

 swim about amidst the water vegetation, dipping beneath the 

 surface with head and neck or gracefully raising the fore part 

 of the body and plunging entirely beneath the surface without 

 any seeming effort. Their love call, a peculiar gurgling, splut- 

 tering, gasping cough, or croak which it is hard to describe, 

 but which once heard will be always remembered, is frequently 

 uttered during the breeding season. While totally different 

 from the notes of the Cuckoo, the call may be best compared 

 to that of the Cuckoo in a way. While swimming the head 

 and neck, or when alarmed often only the head, appear above 

 water. The nesting season is usually in June, sometimes it 

 is even July before the eggs are laid and these may vary from 

 four to ten in number. It is hard to find the parent on the 

 nest during the daytime, either because it is able to steal away 

 so quietly at the approach of intruders, or because it rarely is 

 on the nest during the day. At any rate the eggs are usually 

 covered with a mass of vegetation sufficient to hide them from 

 sight and the parent is absent. However the parents may be 

 heard calling to each other from among the reeds, and a care- 

 ful search near the edge and among them will usually reveal 

 the nest. The downy young are able to take to the water very 

 soon after hatching, and such of them as do not fall a prey to 

 pickerel, bass or other predaceous fish grow very rapidly. The 

 food of the adults consists of tadpoles, small fish, small frogs, 

 water insects and similar animal material. 



