29 [ Vol. xxxix. 
swimming in close company on one of the reservoirs, and it 
was with a very lively interest that my sister-in-law, D., and 
I saw them again at the same place on May 4th and 14th, 
for their sojourn suggested that possibly they would settle 
down and nest. Three days later D. saw four birds, and on 
the 2Ist a party of seven—three pairs and an unattached 
male. I had these seven birds under observation for some 
hours on the. 26th. For the most part they fed in close 
proximity—aindeed, at times a blanket would have covered 
the whole party,—but now and then a pair would detach 
themselves from the others and go off on a short cruise. 
“Essentially sociable as the birds were, the odd male was 
treated with some intolerance, for at times one of the others 
made a rush at it as though to drive it off. That the birds, 
although paired, should at the end of May maintain this’ 
close association and spend hours together fishing in the open 
water was puzzling, for although from the first there had 
been indications of nuptial display—of which more here- 
after—there was nothing to suggest that nesting had actually 
begun, and at the breeding-place described in 1904 by 
Mr. O. V. Aplin (‘ Zoologist,’ 1904, pp. 417-420), which is 
now generally known to be in Wales, young are often 
hatched at the beginning of June*. The association that 
had obtained during the second half of May did, however, 
break down at the end of the month, for on June Ist the 
three pairs were feeding in different parts of the reservoir, 
whilst the unattached male was cruising alone, and after 
that date we only saw the birds singly or in pairs. By 
June 6th a pair had moved to one of the other reservoirs, 
and later in the month another pair frequented the place 
for a day or two. On the 26th D. saw two birds, not mates 
apparently, fishing at some distance apart on this water. 
* “Mr. Aplin records two pairs with young on June 3rd and five pairs 
with young a few days later in 1904. In 1907 there were newly-hatched 
young at this Welsh breeding-place on May 18th, and on June 1d5th of 
that year a bird nearly as large as an adult. Broods are not, however, 
all hatched out at the same time, for on June 21st, 1910, there were 
four broods, varying in size from newly-hatched to half-grown birds.” 
a2 
