408 COLYMBIDJ:. 



frequently comes to the surface of the water, out of 

 shooting distance, and has perhaps altered its course, but 

 a good look-out being kept by the shooters at their differ- 

 ent posts, the bird is soon descried, and the rowers again 

 urge the boat in chace ; the bird dives again, and is again 

 pursued, and on rising is perhaps shot at, but at too great a 

 distance to be effectual, and the bird dives again. In this 

 way the chace is kept up for a time ; the bird, partly ex- 

 hausted by the necessity of maintaining its exertion, and 

 perhaps slightly wounded, is unable to remain so long 

 under water, but the boat is close at hand, the exertion 

 must be continued, and the Grebe still rises and dives 

 again with so much rapidity that several unsuccessful shots 

 are frequently made. The rowers from practice calcu- 

 lating the length of time the chace has lasted, can tell 

 very nearly whenever the bird dives how many strokes of 

 the oars will bring the boat near the place where it may 

 be expected to rise, and by giving out this notice and 

 counting aloud, the interest is kept up throughout the pur- 

 suit, till a fortunate shot gives the fatal blow, when the 

 prize is handed into the boat, and the telescopes are again 

 put into requisition to find out a new victim. 



Sir John Richardson found this bird during summer on 

 most of the lakes of the fur-countries of North America, 

 and the species is included in the histories of the Birds of 

 the United States. 



The adult male bird is brownish-red ; the irides red ; 

 the top of the head, and the elongated feathers of 

 that portion of the crest on the crown of the head, rich 

 dark brown ; the cheeks white ; the long feathers forming 

 together the tippet, and part of the crest standing out 

 from the sides of the neck are reddish-chestnut at the 

 base, becoming dark chestnut at the end ; the neck behind, 

 as also the back, wings, rump, and the short tuft-like tail, 



