464 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA THOMPSON. 



Lake and Lake Manitoba, not elsewhere (D. Gunn). '' Clark's Grebe," 

 Shoal Lake (Brewer). Breeding on Lake Manitoba and very abun- 

 dantly in the marshes of Waterheu River, between it and Lake Winne- 

 pegosis. I took great numbers of eggs on Waterhen Eiver and the 

 south end of Waterhen Lake (Macouu). 



I did not meet with this bird in any part of western or southern 

 Manitoba, but at Winnipeg I was shown several specimens taken near 

 Kedburn, where it is somewhat common, and others from Shoal Lake, 

 where it is quite plentiful These facts, together with the following 

 statement by Professor Macouu, are the more interesting when we con- 

 sider that for a long time this grebe has been considered a bird of the 

 Pacific region. 



In his work on the Norfhwest, Professor Macoun writes : 



On Waterheu River and Lake the Western and Red-necked Grebes breed in great 

 numbers. Their nests are built ou the old sedges and rise and fall with the water. 

 Here the Indians collect large numbers of eggs in the proper season, and one old fel- 

 low, last season, astonished me by the remark that he could have fresh eggs all sum- 

 mer. Ou inquiry I learned that he went regularly to the same nests and never took 

 all the eggs so that he kept the poor bird laying all sumu er. 



Mr. D. Gunn makes the following remarks on this species at the lake 

 in question: 



The annual resort of the Podiceps occidentalis to Shoal Lake is, as has been observed, 

 '• remarkable." From the most reliable information that I could obtain from the In- 

 dians at this place it has never been seen on the Red River nor ou on Lake Winnipeg, 

 and I have never heard of its having been seen anywhere in what is commonly known 

 as Rupert's Land, except at Shoal Lake and Manitoba, and I may add that it is also 

 remarkable that there are very few grebes to be found in any other of the bays con- 

 nected with the lake, although all these bays abound in reeds and rushes. Possi- 

 bly these birds prefer the bay on the north point on account of its being sheltered 

 from the wind, and probably a greater facility for obtainitg food in that locality may 

 influence them in the choice they make. I am inclined to think that the large 

 grebes feed on aquatic plants ; I opened several of their gizzards and found nothing 

 in them but grass. The Western Grebes, when seen in groups on the smooth, unruf- 

 fled waters of the lake, make a splendid appearance, sometimes raising themselves 

 out of the water, and flapping their wings, their white breasts glistening in the sua 

 like silver. They are not timorous, but when alarmed they sink their bodies in the 

 water, and if the object of their fear still presents itself they plunge head foremost 

 and dive and continue a long time uuder the water, often disappointing the expecta- 

 tions of their pursuers by reappearing in a difterent direction from that anticipated. 

 They make their nests among the reeds ou the bent bulrushes of +he last season ; the 

 frame or outer work is of reeds and lined with grass from the bottom and reed leaves. 

 The nest is nearly on a level with the surroundii g water and may be said to float at 

 its " moorings," held there by the reeds. We found hundreds of these nests contain- 

 ing two, three, and four eggs each ; I believe six to be the highest number we found 

 in any one. We took thirteen grebes, of which the males were larger than the fe- 

 males ; the largest male measured, before skinning, 27J by 36^ inches and 14 inches 

 round the body at the head of the wings. The largest female measured 241 by 32J^ 

 inches. We shot not a few of them in the act of leaving their nests, and most of them 

 on being skinned proved to be males, which fact inclines me to believe that the male 

 bird takes his turn in sitting on the eggs. 



