88 Mr. E. Gibson on the Ornithology of [ibis, 



in my journab where I refer, in a tone of exasperation, to a 

 male bird which kept in such close proximity to my canoe, 

 motionless amidst the ''juncos," that it was some time 

 before 1 could shoot it in cold blood without blowing it 

 to pieces. Moved doubtless by curiosity, it would rise to 

 the snrface, survey me silently for a moment, then dive and 

 reappear similarly in another quarter. 



The call-note, of both adults and young, 1 have already 

 described. 



That the species bred here, I was of course aware, from 

 having seen or secured young birds along with their parents; 

 but its general scarcity, coml)ined with the natui'e of its 

 haunts, rendered the discovery of an authentic nest rather a 

 hopeless prospect. It was therefore with great interest 

 that, in the spring of 1913, I observed an individual in such 

 a favourable and isolated locality as the large " Charco '' or 

 pond with its rush-beds, situated in the head-station woods. 

 Only the female was observed at any time (no other Grebes 

 were present), and she was very shy, keeping at some 

 distance and diving at the slightest ahirm. I shot her on 

 the 16th ot November when 1 took the nest with seven 

 slightly-inculiated eggs. (Said bird had the iris very dark 

 brown, with a white ring round the eye; bill whitisii, with 

 a tendency to bluish grey ; crossed over nostrils and both 

 mandibles with a strong black band ; feet very dark grey, 

 or a slate-colour which was almost bluish black.) 



The nest was not hidden in the rushes, but in rather an 

 open space amidst water-weeds ; a floating, mucky, black 

 pile of water-weeds of dift'erent kinds, some 3 inches high 

 and about 14 inches across at base, whilst the hollow on the 

 top was 5 inches across. The eggs were completely covered 

 with wet weeds. 



This lot of seven eggs is undoubtedly a full clutch, though 

 the few broods which have come under my notice did not 

 exceed four in number. 1 Hnd a pencil slip in my journal 

 (unfortunately without reference to authority) which says : — 

 " Pied-billed Grebe [Podilymbus podiceps). Buffalo Lake, 

 Province of Alberta, Canada, 2 June, 1914. Nest with 



