A CHESHIRE BIRD 75 



or has studied the beautiful drawings of such bird artists 

 as Thorburn and Lodge, must have seen that the duck 

 when near the water throws its head, neck, and shoulders 

 back and its tail and feet forward, checking its pace with 

 its wings, so that it actually impinges with the feet first. 

 The grebe flies with the head and neck a little lower than 

 the plane of the body, in that way resembling divers 

 rather than ducks, but when about to alight, slightly 

 elevates both neck and feet, which trail well behind; it 

 strikes the water with its breast, causing a considerable 

 wave. When avoiding danger the bird seldom flies; if 

 suspicious it sinks the body, so that almost the whole of 

 the back is submerged it often swims with the lower 

 neck awash and if threatened dives, travelling to safety 

 under water. The statement that it seldom flies is, 

 however, erroneous; during courtship, and at other times, 

 the grebe flies swiftly and frequently; it also moves from 

 mere to mere and to and from salt water. 



Courtship is a complicated affair which has been 

 described at considerable length, but the sequence of the 

 various actions is by no means always the same. The 

 male bird, very early in the season, and occasionally in 

 autumn, pays attentions to his mate or would-be mate, 

 swimming towards her with his long neck and spear-shaped 

 bill stretched out along the water. He has many deep 

 croaking remarks to make, and in spring a loud, repeated 

 call jik, jik, jik. When the pair meet they both raise 

 themselves in the water, sitting up on the hinder part 

 of the body where there is the merest apology for a tail. 

 Stretching the long necks upward, and with the heads 

 at right angles, they gently fence with their bills, and vary 

 this by occasional strange head dips, usually simultaneous 

 in the two birds. The necks seem to double under, the 

 back of the heads reaching nearly to, if not actually 

 touching, the wings ; but the action is rapid and the necks 



