6 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
pond. It was constructed in an exposed position amongst a few 
rushes, scarcely concealed at all, and the decayed vegetable mat- 
ter of which it was made was completely soaked with water. The 
birds are readily identified, but most of the eggs present no obvious 
difference from those of the pied-billed grebe; a few of them, 
however, are longer and a trifle larger. (Rev. C. J. Young.) 
Breeds in the St. Clair marshes, and in smaller numbers in marshes 
at Point Pelee, Lake Erie. (W. Saunders.) 
On June 15th a fewnests were seen ina marsh near Crane lake, 
. Sask. This species, so far as I know, does not breed in colonies, 
and Mr. W. Saunders writes me to the same effect. The nests at 
Crane lake were placed on small mounds of mud on reeds float- 
ing on the water, and three taken contained four, five and eight 
eggs respectively. 
4. American Eared Grebe. 
Colymbus nigricollis californicus (HEERM.) RipGw. 1885. 
A specimen in the flesh sent to Dr. Yarmir of Lucknow, Bruce 
co., Ont., from Colpoy bay, Lake Huron. (Mclllwraith.) 
A common summer resident in Manitoba, breeding in great 
numbers in many of the lakes and ponds. They make their nests 
on rushes, composed of the same material. We found as many 
as six eggs in some nests, but in the greater number of nests only 
four. (Z.7. Seton.) This bird is found in all parts of the prairie region 
where there is suitable water and cover; it occurs as far north as 
Great Slave lake, (Ross) and is found all through the southern 
part of British Columbia. Unlike the horned grebe it breeds in 
colonies or groups of a dozen or more nests and we have often 
looked down on them in the small lakes of the interior as they sat 
on their nests with the water all around them. In nearly all cases 
the eggs were partly covered by water. Coubeaux says this 
species is much rarer than the horned grebe on the Saskatchewan. 
BREEDING Nores.—I have found this species breeding abund- 
antly at Long lake and Shoal lake, Manitoba. On Juneoth, 1894, 
I found a nest containing as many as nine eggs at Shoal lake, but 
six or seven is the usual number of eggs laid. (Razwe.) Breeding in 
numbers at Burnt lake, Alberta. Anumber of sets taken June 14th 
and 15th, 1896. (D¢zppie.) Saunders counted 500 birds in an arm of 
