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turns, snatching at insects on the surface of the water. 

 All Grebes are very voracious, and will attempt to swallow 

 fish so large as to become impacted in the gullet ; the 

 young in particular, which can catch fish at a very tender 

 age, are sometimes choked in their endeavours to engulf 

 too large a prey. It is usual to find feathers in the stomach 

 mixed with half-digested food. 



Nest. The Great Crested Grebe selects for its breeding- 

 haunts a quiet, sheltered, and unfrequented spot in a thick 

 reed-bed on an inland lake. The site is sometimes near 



FIG. 62. LEFT FOOT OF GREAT CRESTED GREBE, i Nat. size. 



the margin and in other cases at some distance from it, 

 and always surrounded by water deep enough for the 

 bird to dive into at the slightest alarm. 



The nest, composed of a compact mass of aquatic plants, 

 broken sticks and leaves, moistened and usually in a state 

 of decay, either floats on the surface of the water moored 

 to the surrounding reeds, or in shallow places is built up 

 from the bottom of the lake. It is most difficult to find, 

 firstly because it is well concealed among the dense growth 

 of reeds or sedges, and secondly because the owners seldom 

 betray their presence to the intruder. It is marvellous how 

 quickly and stealthily the hatching-bird can glide off, cover 

 her eggs with dead leaves, and then disappear under water, 

 all being the work of a second or two. Indeed, the egg- 



