COURTSHIP OF THE GREAT CRESTED GREB®. = FAD 
2. April11. 1.50—2.30 p.m. 
A pair: ¢ and Q rather hard to distinguish. 
1.50. I just saw the end of a shake. 
1.51-2.0. They swam about vaguely, occasionally diving. 
2.1. I was watching one (sex ?) when suddenly the other came 
into the field of view, carrying in its beak a big bunch 
(bigger a good deal than its own head) of dark, ribbony 
weed, which must have just been fetched from the bottom. 
The bird was swimming fast and rather low, in the ordinary 
position adopted when approaching its mate with weeds. It 
came right up to its mate, and the pair shook (without 
habit-preening) for 10 seconds or so. Then (I am practically, 
but not absolutely, sure) the weedless bird took some of the 
weed, and shaking began again. This lasted a still shorter 
time—“ then ” (I quote from my notes) “ both birds turned 
head to wind—and lo, their ruffs were down, and there was 
no weed in their mouths!” They then swam off together. 
2.3-2.10. Lost to sight behind reeds. 
2.11. Out again. They turned to face each other, and then 
shook five or six times. To start with, strange to say, their 
necks were right down in the normal swimming position. 
As they shook, they gradually raised them till they were 
half pear-shaped. They then stayed motionless for about 
20 seconds, then shook twice, and swam slowly apart. 
2.12-2.27. For fifteen minutes, as near as may be, they did 
absolutely nothing—merely drifting and swimming aimlessly 
about. 
2.27. One preened itself ; and then they faced each other, shook 
7 or 8 times, turned up wind, and swam off into the reeds. 
3. April1ll. 5 p.m. 
I caught a pair in the middle of a bout of shaking. There 
were 7 or 8 shakes, with an occasional habit-preen, and then they 
swam apart, but with their necks still straight up and crests 
erected. One stayed nearly stationary; when the other had got 
some fifteen yards away, the stationary one dived. It came up 
close to the other, and shaking began again, much as before. 
After seven shakes they stopped and went off together, only 
gradually letting necks and crests subside to their ordinary 
positions. It must have then been feeding-time, for they took 
three long dives across to ‘‘ Fish Corner” and began fishing. 
This scene is unusual, for diving as a part of courtship-ritual 
is usually associated either with the cat-position or with the 
weed-fetching. The slow subsidence of neck and crest after 
shaking is also not common. 
4. April12. 8.20a.m. A pair. 
After drifting about for 5 minutes or so, they began shaking. 
They shook 10 or 12 times, with habit-preening; they then put 
