Grebes and Coots 43 



few yards of them, and then, by remaining quiet and con- 

 cealed, have had them under observation at close quarters 

 for quite a considerable time. The food brought up ap- 

 peared to consist exclusively of vegetable substances, or at 

 any rate never of anything so lively as a fish. On one oc- 

 casion a Dabchick swam up and began impudently nibbling 

 at the weed which a drake Pochard was discussing on the 

 surface, without the latter betraying any symptom of jealousy. 

 Pochards in these circumstances are always less wary than 

 any of the other fowl, sometimes even landing on the shore 

 and remaining there for considerable intervals, preening 

 their feathers, and resting in quiet meditation. Golden- 

 eyes, and Coots, often accompanied the other fowl, but both 

 of these are much more chary of approaching the land too 

 closely, and both are given to drifting away, or changing 

 their feeding ground, much more than Tufted Ducks, and 

 Pochards, which will often remain an hour diving over 

 exactly the same spot. The different behaviour of the 

 various species, when alarmed, is also interesting to note. 

 On discovering an ambush, the Grebe instantly disappears 

 under water, leaving scarce a ripple behind to mark the spot, 

 and probably not reappearing within forty yards. If his 

 suspicions have been badly aroused, he may even go further, 

 or when he comes up only protrude a snake-like head and 

 neck for a moment, and withdraw it again, and his second 

 dive will probably carry him out of ken, unless the water be 

 very calm and smooth. On occasions, he may not put up 

 more than his bill, and is then practically invisible after the 

 first plunge. Coots invariably take wing, and, scurrying 

 over the water, offer the sportsman just the best possible 

 chance of killing them, if such be his object. It would be 

 impossible for them to display a greater lack of appreciation 

 of the kind of danger they have most to fear ; nor does any 

 amount of shooting at them appear to teach them that safety 

 lies under water and almost certain death in the air. The 

 only way in which their education seems to improve is that, 

 when much disturbed, they become very fearful of approach- 

 ing the shore ; and even here, in this quiet sanctuary, that 

 inherited trait of character crops strongly up. It is this 



