

m" 



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VOL. VI. 



ALBION, N. Y., NOV., 1889. 



NO. 11 



The Thick-billed Grebe. 



( PodUymbiif; podcepi^.) 



Although this is one of the most gen- 

 eially (listrn)nte(i of XJi-ebes, ranging 

 nearly over the entire United States 

 and beyond, I iiave seen very few arti- 

 cU^s written on this very interesting 

 bird. Probably its retiring habits, or 

 i-ather the placing of its nest where it 

 can not often be reached without a boat, 

 is the reason why it is not more gener- 

 ally observed. 



In most of onr small lakes here will 

 be found a growth of coarse imshes ex- 

 tending to a greater (U- less degree 

 o\er the entire lake. Among these 

 rushes will be found the summer home 

 of the Pied-billed Grebe, known in our 

 1 )cal vernacular as "Hell-diver.'" 



This Grel)e. like the Loon, will dive 

 at the tlasli of a gun, making it veiy 

 ditlicidt to shoot one if it should see 

 you; or sitting on the water, it will 

 (liiietly sink backwai'd, disappearing 

 beneath the surface, leaving scarcely a 

 ripple ^/;> mark the s])ot it had occupied 

 but a iijioment before. 



Their nest is coiui)os(h1 of rushes and 

 decaying vegetation. The rushes 

 pulled u)) from the i)ott(mi of the lake 

 and placed crossing (»ach other on the 

 water, with the small ends farthest 

 from the center, and ser^ ing a double 

 l)urpose as a float and as a foundatioii 

 for th(^ heavier material which is gath- 

 ered together in a little heap from two 

 to four inches in height, and perhaps 

 six or eight in diameter, liollowed just 

 enough to keep the eggs from rolling 

 into the water, probably not over an 

 inch. In this depression are dep(jsited 

 the five to eight eggs, generally six or 

 seven, commonly eight, rarely ten, al- 

 ways wet from the soaking and decay- 

 ing vegetation of which, as I liave said, 

 the nesl is composed, and always 



warm from tlie heat generated by the 

 decomposition of the same materials. 

 In color they are a light greenish-blue, 

 when freshly laid, resembling the tint 

 found in some Heron eggs, or like the 

 eggs of th(> Least Bittern; but they 

 soon take on a deep butl", drab or light- 

 brown shade from coming in conta(;t 

 with the nest. Some few, even after 

 being in the nest quite a while, retain 

 the original color in spots, giving the 

 egg a clotidy, mottled appearance. 

 Still others take on a uniform dirty or 

 greyish-white, not sliowing the heavier 

 stain at all. 



I have veiw seldom found a set of 

 eggs without a few showing a rough, 

 warty excresceitce or calcareous deposit 

 in spots on the shell. When found the 

 eggs are almost alwaj^s covered with 

 dei-ayed rushes and grass taken from 

 around the nest by the parent bird. 

 Although I have collected a few sets 

 that were uncovered when found, it is 

 an exception and not the rule to find 

 them where their has not at least been 

 S(n-ne visible attempt at covering them. 



Only in one instance have I seen the 

 bird cover her eggs, and then I foun* 

 the nest, to her, unexpectedly. She 

 stood upright on the edge of the nest 

 and drawing her head down until her 

 bill nearly or quite rested on her breast, 

 she, with a forward and nxjwaixl move- 

 ment, pushed and lifted part of the nest 

 upon the eggs, repeating the operation 

 two or three times, smoothing it over 

 them with abont the same motion that 

 a duck goes tlirough in feeding when 

 on the water. This was all done in less 

 time than it takes to tell it, and throw- 

 ing herself backward off' the nest, she 

 disa])peared l)eneath the water. 



Frf>m as careful an observance of 

 this bird as I have been able to inake, 

 and a wide range of experience as re- 



