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THE ORNITHOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 



THE GREBES. 



BY RALPH BALLARD, NILES, MICH. 



This genus commonly receives very 

 little attention from naturalists although 

 the habits of the birds comprising it are 

 extremely interesting. As a usual thing 

 they are very shy and difficult to ap- 

 proach. Sometimes, however, in the 

 early morning, which is, with them, as 

 with many other birds, their hour of 

 recreation, they may be neared by a 

 person in a boat. Occasionally one can 

 get within a few rods of them without 

 disturbing them. 



Nauman says, "Probably no bird is 

 better entitled to the name of water- 

 fowl than the gi-ebes, — at least we know 

 of no others that do not, on some occa- 

 sions make their appearance on dry land. 

 It would seem that whatever they do m ust 

 be done in the water ; they cannot even 

 rise upon the wing without a prelimi- 

 nary rush over the surface of the lake ; 

 from dry land they cannot commence 

 their flight." 



The form of the grebe, eminently 

 adapts it to a life in the water. The 

 feet are webbed, but not in the usual 

 manner, each toe is surrounded by a 

 broad fold of membrane, not scalloped, 

 as in some birds, but smoothly rounded 

 off in front where it is furnished with 

 a broad, flattened, claw. The mem- 

 branes are united at the first joint. The 

 tarsi are so much compressed at the 

 sides, that they appear almost like 

 knives from the front. 



The legs are placed very far back, 

 making the bird extremely awkward on 

 land. The wings are small and narrow; 

 the neck is long and slender ; the head 

 small and round ; and the bill, conical, 

 about as long as the head. The tail is 

 altogether wanting, its place being oc- 

 cupied by a thick bunch of feathers. 

 The plumage is thick and fine, almost 

 resembling hairs on the lower sides of 

 the bird. 

 Its tapering form makes the grebe a 



remarkable diver and it swims for long 

 distances under the water. They are 

 very quick and are said to dive at the 

 flash of a gun. They have a peculiar 

 habit, common to many water birds, of 

 slowly sinking themselves in the water 

 until, perhaps, only the head will be 

 visible, and this may disappear as sud- 

 denly as if jerked under from below. 



The nesting habits of these birds are 

 very interesting. The birds pair when 

 young, and from that time on live to- 

 gether, returning year after year to the 

 same pond or lake. The nest is com- 

 posed of a mass of lily-stalks, reeds, etc. 

 It is two or three feet across, and floats 

 on the water, being firmly anchored to 

 the surrounding lilies or rushes. Upon 

 this a shallow basin is formed of decay- 

 ing vegetation brought from the bottom 

 of the lake. Here the eggs, from four 

 to ten in number, are deposited. At 

 first they are a light blue, but soon be- 

 come stained to a dirty yellowish color. 

 Incubation commences as soon as the 

 first egg is laid, and is engaged in by 

 both male and female, alternately, al- 

 though the female has the most of it to 

 do. When the nest is left, a scratch or 

 so of her foot covers the eggs with some 

 of the truck of which it is composed, 

 and to all appearances it is merely a 

 fioating mass of rubbish or an old musk- 

 rat house. 



In three weeks the young are hatched. 

 They are able, from the first, to swim 

 and in a few days to dive. After leav- 

 ing the nest they seldom return to it to 

 roost, finding an excellent place on the 

 backs of the parent birds, who always 

 sleep on the water. Their living is made 

 from small fishes, batrachians, crust- 

 aceans, and other aquatic animals, also 

 some vegetable food is eaten. 



Grebes inhabit fresh water lakes and 

 ponds almost entirely, although they 

 are occasionally seen upon the ocean. 

 Our American species are the American 

 red necked, horned, American eared and 

 pied or thick billed grebe. 



