£0 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
in a large stick as part of the structure—a stick so long that he 
had to push it in front of him to the nest. While bringing 
nesting materials, the Grebes swam very low in the water, very 
swiftly, and with necks much outstretched. When they wished 
to get up to the nest, they would go close to it so that they 
leaned, or appeared to lean, against it, and then jumped on as 
easily as may be. For a moment or two an upright position 
would be maintained, in which the bird looked very comical. 
Incubation also was shared by both sexes. I have repeatedly 
seen the male performing this duty while the female has been 
occupied in fishing, or preening herself in another part of 
the pool. On one occasion, I watched the male jump upon 
the nest which his mate had left, and remain there for over an 
hour, not even vacating his post when she returned to the 
vicinity of the nest. Usually, when the female Grebe (the shyest 
of the pair), in alarm at being watched, slipped off the nest, 
hastily and imperfectly covering the eggs, the male, after care- 
fully covering them, would take her place. I have observed him 
dive several times for leaves with which to cover the eggs. 
Whether the female removed the covering I am unable to say; 
her mate certainly incubated the eggs while covered up. 
Incubation commenced at once. Thus on April 13th, 1888, 
the first egg was laid, and on that day I observed the female 
sitting. On May 21st, I saw one or more young; but as I had 
been absent from home, the one I actually saw may have been 
hatched some time; from its small size it could not have been 
more than a week old. According to this, incubation probably — 
lasts twenty-eight days or thirty-five at the outside. - 
The young was at first assiduously cared for by both parents, 
but after it was half-grown, the old male ceased to pay it any 
attention, frequented another part of the water, and was often 
absent altogether. For some time after it was hatched, the 
favourite seat of the little bird was its mother’s back, usually 
partially concealed by her scapulars, not unfrequently quite 
exposed to view. When ‘rather more than three parts grown 
it used to catch fish for itself. The old Grebes would always 
shake the fish carefully before presenting it to the young, and I 
have seen the latter decline to take it until it had been shaken a 
hitle more. But with old or young Grebes, the direction, 
“before taken to be well shaken,” seems to be carefully followed. 
