AMONG THE REEDS AND RUSHES. 5 



tains a small mass of feathers as that of the domestic fowl 

 contains gravel. The fact is known to every naturalist, but 

 no one is sure of the reason for it. 



The commoner grebe of our streams and ponds is a plain 

 little brown-eyed bird, grayish brown above, and grayish 

 white below. In the spring, for a few weeks, a black band 

 encircles the bill, which gives it the name of "pied-billed"; 

 and it has then a throatpatch of jetty black that also dis- 

 appears later in the year. 



The other grebe, not so common as this except in the North, 

 is a red-eyed bird with a grayish black upper and a pure 

 white under surface. In the spring this bird also puts on a 

 bridal dress, which entirely alters its appearance. Above it 

 is glossy black; the throat and front of the neck become rich 

 chestnut, which follows down, each side in a stripe near the 

 wings ; around the head, back of the eyes, springs a great 

 muffle of black silky plumes that stand out like the frill to a 

 bonnet, and long, buffy-brown plumes start out near the ears. 

 These feather ornaments give the bird its name of "horned" 

 grebe. All the grebes put on a gay breeding dress in the 

 spring. It is odd that after wearing these fine feathers only 

 a few weeks, they should shed them and put on their plain 

 everyday dress. In the West the horned grebe is replaced by 

 the American eared grebe, with golden tufts instead of brown 

 ones. 



It is scarcely likely that you will learn much about the 

 colors of the grebe in one trip or in two or three ; probably 

 you will not be able to decide which species you are observ- 

 ing, for she is a suspicious little body, and if she does not 

 like your looks she will glide back under the cover of the 

 plants, or will sink slowly beneath the surface of the water. 

 If you do not watch her every moment, she will disappear 



