140 BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



their shells first, remained close to the 

 male, while the second two clung to 

 their mother. 



In another corner of the lake, where 

 the trees overhung the water, a pair of 

 Little Grebes had built their nest. 

 Owing to their extreme shyness they 

 were not so easy to watch as the larger 

 Grebes, but by building a small hiding 

 place on the water and surrounding this 

 with dried reeds I was able to observe 

 them at their nest from a distance of six 

 feet. When the hen first arrived at the 

 nest she seemed very suspicious, and 

 although she was in deep water she just 

 raised her head above the surface so that 

 her eyes and beak could be seen, and 

 she remained in this strange position for 

 just twenty minutes. It was a game of 

 patience between the photographer and 

 the bird, and I am glad to say the 

 photographer won and I secured a good 

 set of pictures. 



