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



jabs of their sharp bills. Often as the grebes neared these flies they gave 

 a quick stroke with the feet in order to drive ahead and seize them before 

 they were disturbed by the wave that preceded the bird when swimming 

 at a regular rate. 



Though these grebes were paired early, actual nest-building did not start 

 until about June 13, though a few females were seen in Hayden's Lake 

 playing with nesting material as early as the first of June. Nests were 

 begun where the water was from three to five feet deep. The females 

 seemed to do the work of nest construction, dragging up masses of algae 

 to a central point and diving actively for more while the males remained 

 near the nest posturing over it trilling and reaching out as though to aid 

 the female as she approached with building material. A colony of a dozen 

 or fifteen nests was begun at one point in the lower end of the lake, and 

 the grebes were noisy and demonstrative here for several days before 

 actual building begun, displaying constantly and fighting with rivals. The 

 noise and commotion continued as nest construction was started. No 

 completed nests were found nor were any eggs laid up to the time of my 

 departure. 



The notes of these grebes were whistled and somewhat varied but were 

 of such a nature that it is difficult to transcribe them successfully to paper. 

 Males were heard occasionally making a curious soughing sound concern- 

 ing whose origin I was uncertain. Occasionally during the night, especially 

 when the weather was stormy the Grebes called in chorus making a con- 

 siderable volume of wild sound that carried for a long distance. 



After the first of June, when insect life became more abundant, little 

 parties containing from six to fifteen of these grebes came swimming up 

 from the lower bays toward dusk each evening to feed in the great open 

 expanse of water at the northern end of the lake. These bands swam 

 steadily ahead in close formation toward the open water, without stopping 

 to rest. Little flocks travelling a hundred yards or so apart continued to 

 come until it was dark. Occasionally as they passed a single grebe came 

 out from the rushes on either side to join them. Frequently I counted 

 150 or 175 individuals before it became too dark to see clearly. The 

 broad area of water mentioned proved a trap for many insects that came 

 flying out from the sage grown hills surrounding it, while Chironomids 

 and Ephemerids were emerging constantly from its shallow depths in 

 great numbers. Frequently in the morning I found the water surface 

 strewn with drowning beetles and ants, while gnats were resting every- 

 where on the surface forming an abundant source of food. 



After leaving Lake Burford I visited a lake region at an elevation of 

 nearly 9000 feet on a high plateau in the southern end of the Chuska Moun- 

 tains. The Eared Grebe was found here also and was nesting in fair num- 

 bers on the two lakes known to the Navajos as Be-e-khet-hum-nez and 

 To-teh-khih. Though these lie at two thousand feet greater elevation 

 than Lake Burford breeding among the grebes was much farther advanced. 



