36 LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN DIVING BIRDS 



dire in 1891 about its nesting habits. The nests are placed in the 

 middle of a secluded pond, floating in three feet of water and exposed 

 to the full rays of the sun. He says that the birds cover the eggs 

 when they leave the nest to protect them from the excessive heat of 

 the sun, and states that both sexes help in the incubation. I have 

 two sets of Mexican grebe's eggs in my collection taken by Mr. Arm- 

 strong near Brownsville, Texas; one set of three fresh eggs was col- 

 lected on April 8, 1898, from a nest in a creek; and one of four 

 fresh eggs was taken on April 23, 1900, from a nest in a pond; the 

 nests were made of rushes, trash, and dead vegetable matter. 



Although the bird found in the West Indies is now considered 

 subspecifically distinct, its habits are probably similar, and, as we 

 have so little to draw from on this species, I shall quote from what 

 Mr. Philip H. Gosse (1847) has to say about it in Jamaica. He 

 writes of its nesting habits: 



Early in August I found near the edge of Mount Edgecombe pond a nest 

 of this grebe a round heap of pond weed and rotten leaves, flattened at the 

 top, and slightly hollowed; it was about 15 inches wide and 6 or 8 inches 

 thick. The top was damp, but not wet, and very warm from exposure to the 

 sun's rays. We drew it on shore, for it was entangled among the branches 

 of a fallen tree, but not attached to them, and presently found on the matted 

 weed just below the surface, in the place where we had dragged it, a large 

 white egg, excessively begrimed with dirt, doubtless from lying on the decay- 

 ing leaves. On being cleansed I found it covered with a chalky coat, easily 

 scratched off. 



A few weeks after I again visited this pond. On approaching before sunrise 

 (for I had traveled by the brilliant starlight of the tropical heavens) I saw a 

 grebe sitting on a new nest, in the same spot as I had found the former one. 

 This nest was composed of similar materials and contained four eggs. Early 

 in December we found another nest with the young just peeping from the egg. 

 It is probable, therefore, that several broods are reared in a season. 



The Mexican grebe has recently been found breeding in Bexar 

 County, Texas, by Messrs. Roy W. Quillin and Ridley Holleman 

 (1916), who say: 



About 10 miles south of San Antonio there is a large marshy lake which cov- 

 ers something like a thousand or twelve hundred acres. Being the only body of 

 water of this size in this part of Texas, and having exceptional surroundings, 

 it is the mecca of the water birds of this county. Practically the entire lake is 

 surrounded by a barrier of cat-tail reeds, tules, and marsh grass, which in some 

 portions is one hundred or more yards in width. 



While searching for nests of the American eared grebe in a secluded inlet of 

 this lake we located our first nest with eggs of the San Domingo grebe (Colym- 

 bus dominicus brachypterus} . Both cat-tails and tules were growing at this 

 point, but not so thickly as they are generally found. In one of the small patches 

 of open water which break the monotony of these reed jungles the nest was 

 anchored. In general appearance the nests examined by us average somewhat 

 smaller than nests of the American eared grebe, this being especially true of 

 the hollow in which the eggs are deposited. The nests were composed of de- 

 cayed reeds of every description, heaped into a cone-shaped mass measuring from 



