THE SUBMERGED TENTH 



not discover, except where a Grebe of either kind 

 had laid in a nest of the other. It would be inter- 

 esting to know what is the state of mind that causes 

 various species of birds that colonize together to lay 

 in each other's nests. It may be through mistake, 

 yet, as in the present case, when the eggs of one 

 kind are twice the size of the other, it seems as 

 though the bird would detect the difference. I can 

 imagine, on the other hand, that the little Grebe 

 might find the larger nest attractive, but not so 

 readily what the big Grebe thinks as it finds the 

 smaller home which it has usurped about sinking 

 under its weight. 



There were no street-signs in the city, and, 

 though city bred, I found myself rustic enough to 

 be in danger of getting lost in the colymbine 

 (Colymbus) labyrinths. As luck would have it, the 

 usual daily June thunder-shower (of this season) 

 came up before I was half through my exploration. 

 Covering the camera and plates with the rubber 

 cloth, my upper half was soon as wet as the rest. 

 For a considerable time the sun was obscured. 

 There was no way of looking over the tops of the 

 canes to note the direction of the shore, and I 

 might have wandered about there indefinitely, had 

 not the welcome sun again shone forth. Next 

 time I brought a compass, and felt more secure. 



Here and there in this city were pond-like 

 openings in the canes, with open water, the city 

 parks, I called them breathing-places for the 

 Grebe-multitudes. Standing in water waist-deep or 

 more by one of these, I shivered and watched the 

 ways of the Grebes. This opening was some thirty 



21 



