AMONG THE WATER-FOWL 



found to be the common species of the poplar 

 growth, with a few Sparrow Hawks, Song and 

 White-throated Sparrows, Mourning Warblers, and 

 doubtless other small birds, sprinkled in. No more 

 of the Grebes' eggs, I found, had hatched, but the 

 loose egg-shells were gone, as was the youngster. 

 One of the shells I found about ten yards from the 



nest, floating 

 among the reeds, 

 whither the old 

 bird, no doubt, 

 had carried it. 



This large 

 Grebe seems not 

 very common in 

 Dakota, though I 

 met it sparingly 

 in the larger fresh 

 water lakes. But 

 everywhere in the 

 prairie sloughs 







one m e e 



familiar Pied-billed and Horned Grebes, as well as 

 the Eared. I did not find these first two in colonies, 

 but each pair nesting by itself, usually well out in 

 the deepest water. One day I was exploring a large 

 slough in a boat that I had carted miles for the pur- 

 pose, when I came upon a small Grebes' nest with 

 one egg, out in nearly open water, anchored to a 

 few stems of grass. Quite near it was a Horned 

 Grebe that probably was the owner. The wind 

 was violent, and the waves were breaking over the 

 nest all the time. Probably other eggs had been 



30 



NEST OF PIED-BILLED GREBE, NORTH DAKOTA *e f-V# 



cxie 



