124 love's meinie. 



sort, and I have the less scruple in distinguish- 

 ing it from the others. I find, further, in 

 Stanley's classes, the Grebes placed among 

 the short-winged birds, and made to include 

 all the divers ; but he does not say how short 

 their wings are ; and his grouping them with 

 guillemots and puffins is entirely absurd, all 

 their ways and looks, and abodes, being those 

 of ducks. We can say no more of them as 

 a family, accordingly, until we know what a 

 duck is ; — and I go on to the little pet of them, 

 whose ways are more entirely its own. 



103. Strangely, the most interesting fact 

 (if fact it be) that it builds a floating nest, 

 gains scarcely more than chance notice from 

 its historians. Here is Mr. Gould's account 

 of it: "The materials composing this raft or 

 nest are weeds and aquatic plants carefully 

 heaped together in a rounded form ; it is very 

 large at the base, and is so constantly added 

 to, that a considerable portion of it becomes 

 submerged ; at the same time it is sufficiently 

 buoyant to admit of its saucer-like hollow top 

 being always above the surface. In this wet 

 depression five or six eggs are laid. The 

 bird, always most alert, is still more so now, 



