i86 BRITISH BIRDS. WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS 



giving them an early swimming lesson. When first noticed the young birds were 

 on the water between the old ones ; presently one of the latter sinking itself low 

 in the water, came up under them, and so took them on to its back, then sinking 

 again, moved away sideways and left them floating on the surface ; this was repeated 

 several times, until, becoming alarmed, the old birds hurried their charges off to 

 the shelter of the thick rushes (" Birds of Oxfordshire"). The young birds, when 

 partly grown, utter a shrill, plaintive, piping cry when following the old birds 

 for food. 



In Wood's " Natural History," the woodcut of the Crested Grebe (misnamed 

 "Eared Grebe") shows the bird with the tarsus at perhaps a greater angle than 

 22'5 with the ground, and in the same work the Little Grebe is shown standing 

 with it at 45 at least. These attitudes are, I should say, pretty correct. The 

 Little Grebe carries its tarsus, if anything, even more upright. I have only once 

 had an opportunity of handling a living specimen of the Great Crested Grebe, in 

 September, 1881. It could stand fairly upright (in a very similar attitude to the 

 bird in Wood's book before mentioned), with its tarsus well off the ground, but 

 at this distance of time I cannot say just at what angle. In this position it was 

 quite capable of walking. The bird was, however, very tired (it had been 

 picked up in a field at a little distance from water), and when left to itself 

 preferred to lower its body and rest on its breast. I had one afternoon an 

 opportunity of observing the movements on land of a Crested Grebe, which had 

 been received at the Gardens of the Zoological Society a few days before. The 

 keeper in charge of it told me that it occasionally left the stone basin of water, 

 in which it passed most of its time, and rested on the bank, lying down on its 

 breast. It was easily induced to leave the water for my benefit, when it walked 

 with short hobbling steps, but only took a few steps before sinking down on its 

 breast. It soon got up again of its own accord, walked to the edge of the water 

 and glided in. When it walked its body was carried at an angle of about 45, 

 or rather more, with the ground. But, although it walks, I do not think this 

 bird can, or will, stand still, for more than a moment, in a semi-upright position. 



The food of the Great Crested Grebe consists of small eels and other fish, 

 tadpoles, frogs, crustaceans, mollusca, and aquatic insects ; seeds and portions of 

 aquatic plants have also been found in their stomachs, which are not uncommonly 

 crammed with a mass of the Grebes own small white feathers. 



Old, or local, names for this species are Doucker (probably of Danish origin), 

 Arsefoot, Loon, Gaunt, Mulrooken (Ireland), Muffler, Tippet Grebe, Gwyach 

 gorniog and Cargoose. 



The adult male in summer has the forehead, crown, occiput and nape blackish- 



