232 Wetmore, Birds of Lake Burford, N. Mex. [April 



ing the female with crest and cheeks flaring, head erect, neck extended 

 slightly forward, wings half opened with the tips raised so as to display all 

 of the handsome markings to the best advantage. The female then dived, 

 remaining under twelve or fifteen seconds, while the male maintained his 

 position watching intently. As the female emerged she came up slowly 

 a few feet away with head and neck extended until when free of the water 

 she was standing bolt upright on the surface, treading water rapidly, with 

 her whole body exposed. Sometimes she came up facing the male, some- 

 times with her back toward him and sometimes behind him. On perceiv- 

 ing her he rose at once, assuming the same attitude as that held by his 

 mate, and the two, still bolt upright, advanced slowly toward one another, 

 until finally their breasts touched, when their feet, suddenly moving more 

 rapidly, broke at the surface, making a great boiling in the water. This 

 performance was accompanied by constantly varied trilling and whistling 

 notes. The birds held this upright position for a few seconds with heads 

 turning rapidly from side to side as if pivoted on the neck, then sank slowly 

 down to the usual resting position on the water, and at once began to preen 

 the feathers of the sides of the breast and neck. This ended the display 

 and the birds drifted slowly apart. The performance as described was the 

 completed act. Frequently however after birds has been paired for some 

 time they rested on the water facing each other, then rose at once to the 

 upright position, and touched breasts, while calling excitedly, after which 

 they sank back and began to preen. The boiling, rushing sound made by 

 their feet as their breasts touched could be heard for a long way and 

 often attracted attention to pairs in the open water at some distance that 

 were just completing this display. Sometimes the male continued erect 

 after the female sank back, and might then turn his back to her and 

 travel off across the water for two or three feet. Again the male at times 

 rose in display and the female did not respond when he sank back slowly 

 after a few seconds. In one variation of the action I saw a male emerge 

 very slowly in front of his mate with wings partly raised, submerge, and 

 then rise again. The third time he emerged in the erect position but she 

 did not respond when he sank back again on the water. The entire 

 display was seen at comparatively long intervals but the simplified version 

 in which the two birds merely rose together was observed many times each 

 day. The entire act required from 10 seconds to nearly a minute to com- 

 plete. As the birds stand bolt erect their resemblance to small penguins 

 while performing this act is both curious and striking. 



Another very pretty display was as follows. A pair rested on the water 

 8 or 10 feet apart and then swam slowly toward one another, suddenly 

 checking to a standstill when their bills almost touched. They remained 

 for a second or two in this position and then both turned half around so 

 that their tails were almost touching, and the birds were facing away from 

 one another. The male then depressed his crest, lowered his head and 

 nodded it slowly back and forth, looking at the surface before him as though 



