8 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 
bird as it is seldom seen on the prairies. Rhoads states that it 
‘breeds throughout the mainland of B.C. and on Vancouver island. 
BREEDING Notes.—I have found this bird breeding at Long 
lake, Manitoba, and, like the eared and horned grebes, it often 
lays as many as seven or eight eggs. I find that all the grebes 
cover their eggs with weeds during the day, and the weeds are 
removed at dark by the bird, which incubates the eggs until the 
morning sun relieves her of her task. (Razne.) 
This species commences to build its nest near Ottawa, Ontario, 
about the first week in May. The nest is built on the edge of a 
marsh and is about the size of a bushel basket. It is composed 
of moss, grass, roots and mud. Eggs, five or more in number. are 
whitish, clouded with green. The nest is very difficult to find, as 
the old birds cover it over when they leave (G. R. White.) 
The dab-chick was conspicuous in 1906 in every pond and 
marsh of any size between Portage la Prairie and Edmonton, and 
where it was not seen floating about its characteristic ‘‘ pomp 
pomp” made its presence known. During the summer we were 
able to note the gradual development of the bird from the egg to 
the full grown specimen and of all the birds noted none attracted 
more constant attention and interest than the little water witch. 
I noted that where the birds were in a marsh the young hid them- 
selves and the parents gradually sunk themselves below the 
surface of the water and disappeared but where they were found 
in small ponds with no marsh the parent birds remained on the 
surface to watch the young and in more retired localities they 
showed little concern at our presence. In the marshes about 
Portage la Prairie it is one of the most numerous breeding species, 
the floating nests being everywhere conspicuous. I have not 
found this grebe covering the eggs during the day, as recorded, 
to assist incubation but have regularly noted the bird flap a 
considerable quantity of the decayed reed foundation over the 
eggs as though to hide them when flushed from the nest and I 
have regularly noted and disturbed the birds sitting on the eggs 
during the day even while the sun was high and warm. (Geo. 
Atkinson.) 
Found a nest on a floating mass of dead rushes, in Lake 
St. Francis, near Summertown, Ont., June 6th, 1903. It held five 
