Home Life in Bird-Land 
nest and offers his mate some food. The hen takes 
this love-eift and then immediately dives. 
The bird now glances in the direction 
of his thankless mate, then climbs on 
to the nest and takes his turn at sitting. In half-an- 
hour the hen returns. I watched these birds for nearly 
three days, and seldom saw one sit for more than half- 
an hour at a time. Sometimes they changed after 
five minutes’ sitting. It was a pretty exercise to see 
them change. The bird about ‘to relieve the other 
came up at the back of the nest, then the sitting bird 
dived almost before the other’s head showed above 
water. When a dabchick leaves the nest it is the 
usual custom to cover the eggs. The nest is often 
built on the surface of the water, and when the eggs 
are covered it looks exactly lke a clump of floating 
weed. It is exceedingly interesting to note how quickly 
the sitting bird covers her eggs if any intruder 
approaches. The instant footsteps are heard she 
stands in her nest, and, with her two feet, scrapes 
The Dabchick 
at Home. 
235 
and pushes water-weeds over her eggs. She also uses 
her beak to lift the larger pieces. Once, when a 
little dog came along the path, the grebe covered her 
eges and dived out of sight in the space of ten oa eer el 
seconds. Hach time she commenced sitting the first 
thing was to uncover the eggs, and then the water-weeds were arranged round her in 
such positions as to be most convenient for recovermg the eggs if further danger was 
RAVEN’S NEST. 
threatened. These birds sat on thei eggs for three 
weeks, and then five tiny, fluffy balls of feathers—the 
young grebes—appeared. These little creatures, not 
much bigger than large walnuts, are remarkably clever 
swimmers and divers, and are so as soon as they leave 
the shells. I was able to get near them one day, as 
they were all swimming about near their nest. The 
parents were there also, and seemed to be in a great 
state of excitement. Instead of diving, the young all 
scuttled towards their mother, and a very pretty thing 
happened. She shghtly raised her wings, and the 
youngsters—five in all—crowded underneath. When all 
were out of sight she dived, with her family under her 
wings, and came up some considerable distance away. 
This alone shows what perfect swimmers and divers 
these extremely interesting birds are. When the young 
were about four weeks old the parents constructed 
another nest, but this was blown from its moorings 
during a violent storm. However, a third nest was 
made in a more secure place, and the eggs were duly 
hatched. A share in looking after the second brood 
falls to the lot of the young of the first family; and 
when all these are full grown they make thei way to 
other ponds, and are sometimes even driven by their 
