26 HILLSIDE, ROCK, AND DALE 



marvellous swimming and diving powers it has not 

 yet reached such practice as this. 



It is exceedingly interesting to note how quickly 



the sitting bird 



,'*. I ^'^>"iT^?Sk' N i^lSMHJ| covers her eggs 

 vi^vfeii if any intruder 

 approaches. 



The instant 

 footsteps are 

 heard she stands 

 in her nest, and, 

 with her two 

 feet, scrapes and 

 pushes water- 

 weeds over her 

 eggs. She also 

 uses her beak 

 to lift the larger 

 pieces. Once, 

 when a little dog 

 came along the 

 path, the grebe 

 covered her eggs 

 and dived out of 

 sight in the space 



of ten seconds. Each time she commenced sitting the 

 first thing was to uncover the eggs, and then the water- 

 weeds were arranged round her in such positions as 



DABCHICK S NEST COVERED 



