VOL. xm.] THE BLACK-NECKED GREBE. 147 



On May nth I watched the birds during the morning and 

 evening. They were chiefly occupied in diving for food, the 

 average time of remaining under being 27 seconds. On the 

 12th the birds were going through their courting exercises. 

 These at times are very pretty. They will face each other, 

 and one gives a curious snake-like twist of the neck followed 

 by a rapid shake of the head, very much like the courting 

 exercise of the Great Crested Grebe, but altogether they make 

 a very much greater show than the latter species. On the 

 evening of the 12th, after a short courting show like this, 

 both birds swam across the reservoir and entered the reeds 

 at the spot where the nest was last year. The male kept 

 close to his mate, and one could not help noticing, how, if 

 they passed a Coot, or if another bird approached them, he 

 placed himself between the possible enemy and his mate. 



On May 13th and 14th both birds were out on the reservoir, 

 and I did not see them enter the reeds, but on the 15th, they 

 remained in the reeds practically all the day, and I supposed 

 that they were nest-building. On the following day both 

 birds again swam into the reeds at 10 a.m. At 6.30 that 

 evening I saw the male bird leave the reeds at a point I was 

 watching, close to where I estimated they would build, but 

 there was no sign of the female. The whole of the 17th was 

 spent in the same way, the male again showing himself in 

 the evening. I spent about an hour in searching for the nest, 

 without result. At 6.30 a.m. on the i8th both birds were 

 out on the reservoir feeding, but at 10 a.m. only the male 

 was to be seen, and I inferred that the hen was sitting. 



The next day I decided to have a good search for the nest, 

 and in the evening my boat was driven almost as far as it 

 would go into the reeds at the point where I thought the 

 birds were nesting, and I noticed that the male swam up to 

 the edge of the reeds and seemed very concerned, so I felt 

 that I was on the right track. Later I found a nest that I 

 thought was the one I wanted, but it was doubtful, as there 

 were so many Dabchicks about. This nest contained four 

 eggs, covered over, the covering being well trodden down, 

 so that from a short distance it looked like an empty nest. 



