150 Bird- Nesting 



male bird was singing, perched on a twig, and close by I flush- 

 ed the female off her nest which was built in a shrub two feet 

 above the ground. The nest was similar to that of the chip- 

 ping sparrow, and the eggs closely resemble those of that 

 species. In a series of 20 eggs, however, it is noticable that 

 the spots are lighter coloured than those on the chipping spar- 

 row's eggs. The eggs of the clay-coloured sparrow are bluish- 

 green, spotted at the largest end with sienna-brown. The bird 

 never lays more than four eggs which measure about 0.60 x 

 0.50. After going through the bluffs I led the horse down to 

 the margin of the lake and allowed him to quench his thirst, 

 after which I let him feed on the grass, while I examined the 

 rushes that fringed the lake. On my approach a number of 

 western grebes swam out of the rushes, making a cackling 

 kind of a noise. I went back to the buggy and put on my 

 long rubber boots w^hich I had fortunately brought along with 

 me. I then made for the rushes and soon found five or six 

 nests of the western grebe. Two of the nests contained young 

 birds just hatched, and another nest contained five eggs on the 

 point of hatching, a fourth nest contained five eggs partly in- 

 cubated, but I was able to make good specimens of them. 

 There were two or three other empty nests. The nests were 

 composed of decayed sedges matted together, and were about a 

 foot and a half in diameter, and floated on the top of the 

 water, anchored to the growing rushes. 



The eggs are dirty yellowish white, stained with brown, by 

 coming in contact with the decayed vegetation which the nests 

 are composed of; size 2.43x1.55. The western grebe is a 

 graceful bird, and an expert diver and swimmer. It is the 

 largest of the North American grebes. It breeds plentifully 

 on several of the lakes in Manitoba, and especially at Shoal 

 Lake. A great number also breed at Devil's Lake in North 

 Dakota. 



All the grebes have a habit of covering their eggs with 

 weeds before leaving them, and some nests I found at Long- 

 Lake were quite warm, caused by the fermentation of decayed 

 damp rushes, which reeked with steam like a manure heap. 



