COURTSHIP OF THE GREAT CRESTED GREBE, Ns) 
them from the surface. The mass of weeds brought up by the 
bird may be very large—a good deal larger than the bird’s head, 
indeed, with streamers trailing beyond the tail. One bird 
(usually the male) might bring weed to the nest while the 
other was incubating; when this was so, the sitting bird would 
generally arrange the weeds with its beak, though sometimes 
both would arrange the weed together. Weed was added to the 
nest for at least five days after the first egg was laid. 
In the building of the second nest, he saw one morning the 
cock build a few minutes alone; then both cock and hen build 
together very hard for about forty-five minutes (74 cargoes in 
forty minutes); then the hen build a little by herself. The cock, 
meanwhile, after a short rest, began building a platform, acting 
precisely as when building the true nest. After fetching 28 cargoes 
he stopped and rested. The next morning the same great activity 
was visible; but now the birds were building a third (true) nest. 
In fifty minutes (including a'pause) they brought 100 cargoes of 
weed, the last 10 or so being brought by the cock alone. This 
time the cock did not at first desert the nest altogether in favour 
of his platform, but every now and then diverted a cargo of weed 
to his own private platform-use. After a rest, however, he 
reversed his former behaviour; he now began working syste- 
matically at the platform, but occasionally took a cargo to the 
nest. Sometimes he seemed to hesitate between the nest and 
the platform. The next day there was a little more building, 
mainly by the cock, and after this no more records. 
As to the part played in nest-building by cock and hen 
respectively, Selous says in regard to this pair :—‘‘ The interest 
taken by the male in the nest has been very marked throughout, 
more so even—in appearance, at any rate—than that of the 
female, though in the actual building of it she has been yet 
more efficient than he” (/.c. p. 179). Although he never carried 
quite so large a cargo as the hen sometimes did, yet his average 
was as good as hers, and when he swam with his burden to the 
nest he went much faster. 
Sometimes the cock would pass his cargo of weeds to the hen, 
who (if she did not drop it) would put it on the nest. He never 
saw this action reversed, nor did he even see the heu help in the 
building of the cock’s platform, or building one for herself alone. 
The hen alone brought large sticks to the nest (however, the cock 
was seen to bring a stick to his platform). 
In the only recorded case where a nest was watched during 
incubation (Selous, J. c. pp. 161-170), the cock alone brought 
weeds to the nest, though the hen might arrange what he 
brought. This is probably of no importance. (The bulk of the 
nest was presumably built beforehand by both birds together.) 
(6) 1901.—This year the only “nest” seen by Selous seems to 
have been a mere pairing-platform, the actual building of which 
was not observed. Occasionally the birds would add-to it, but 
in a very perfunctory-looking way, and never more than a few 
bits of weed at a time, 
