4 BHITISn BIRDS. [vol. xiv. 



not far from me, as I stood quietly by the camera. Before 

 I ha d got out of sight of tlie nest I saw her go to it and change 

 the covering or shielding material to its opposite edge, thus 

 sheltering the eggs from the too inquisitive gaze of the camera's 

 e3'e . When I returned from the cabin the bird was on the 

 nes t incubating. She took to the water as I came up, but 

 CO Jitinued to swim back and forth among the scant neighbour- 

 ing tufts of marsh grass. As I stood very quietly for some 

 time behind the camera her boldness gradually increased, 

 until at length I was able to photograph her near the nest, 

 with the aid of only ten feet of rubber tubing attached to the 

 shutter release. The making of these photographs consumed 

 much time and continually the Grebe was groMdng bolder. 

 She swam almost under the camera, and when I came close 

 to the nest she made a dash at me, shooting entirely out of 

 the water. This show of force was afterwards repeated 

 frequently, and it sometimes ended with a violent splashing 

 dive which sent a shower of spray over the camera outfit 

 and the photographer. Meanwhile her spouse drifted quietly 

 at a safe and respectable distance. Although one photograph 

 of the bird on her nest was secured by means of a very long 

 thread, the result was rather unsatisfactory. 



On the following day, June 13th, I donned the hip boots 

 again and stationed myself with the camera outfit, determined 

 to see if patience would be rewarded by an opportunity to 

 photograph the bird on her nest at close range. It was a 

 wearisome experiment, but not without result, for eventually 

 the Grebes became remarkably bold. The female was the 

 first to approach. She swam around the nest repeatedly, 

 but for a long time refused to venture upon it. For the most 

 part the male witnessed her adventures from a discreet 

 distance. Occasionally, however, he came up ; and finally, 

 while the female was showing her agitation by swimming 

 hurriedly about, the male swam deliberately to the nest, 

 climbed up its side, and sat on the eggs, facing me. A plate 

 was exposed on this unexpected sitter but unfortunately 

 was ruined by an accident before development. He became 

 alarmed by my activities in changing plate-holders, or perhaps 

 by the removal of my head from beneath the focusing cloth, 

 and suddenly slipped off the nest into the water. Both birds 

 were subsequently photographed together, near the nest. 



I cautiously moved the camera somewhat closer and waited. 

 The female frequently shot out of the water at me with a 

 rush accompanied by a harsh cry, and sometimes ended her 

 attack with a dive and a great splash. Eventually she went 



