44 



TIIK IOWA OKXITIIOLOGIST. 



the I'lirm g-roves, nKqMcs and 

 poplars being- their favorite trees 

 I'he nests are bulky and com- 

 I>osed of hay, straw, mud, rag^:, 

 jxiper and any other odds and 

 nds usually found scattered 

 around farm yards. Nests are 

 placed in upright forks, usually 

 at a considerable height. A 

 notable exception to the usual 

 nesting site was one placed in a 

 l)unch of rushes in a slough, after 

 the manner of a Yellowhead and 

 Redw^i'.ig. I could account for 

 this in no other way than that 

 the bird became discouraged at 

 having its nest destroyed in the 

 ■ rrove and desired to try the ex- 

 periment of a new site. The 

 eir2"s number 4 to 6. These birds 

 love to follow the newly plowed 

 furrow and pick up the grabs; 

 an open corncrib is a boon to 

 them during the nesting season." 

 (Jno. V. Crone. ) "Arrived at 

 Iowa City IVIar. 10, '94. Some of 

 them vv^inter in Illinois swamps 

 in company wnth the Rusty G. 

 This bird is quite abundant and 

 large colonies nest in the firs 

 of both cities Burlington and 

 Iowa City. I have found as 

 many as five nests in one tree. 

 They are a noisy bird. This 

 species as m.any others seems to 

 decrease in numbers. I remem- 

 ber not more than 7 or 8 years 

 ago flocks of these birds could 

 be seen flying from Burlington 

 to Illinois in late fall, for whole 

 afternoons continuous flocks of 



25 to 50 feet in width. These are 

 things of the past for now^ only 

 small flocks pursue that journey. 

 No continuous bands cleaving the 

 air. "(Paul Bartsch. ) 



. The Pied-billed Grebe. 



This species is the first on the 

 list of water birds wdth which I 

 have had mvich experience. It 

 nests abundantly in the ponds and 

 sloughs of this locality. The 

 nests are situated where the grass 

 g-ives way to open water. They 

 are a floating mass of decaying- 

 vegetation the shape of an invert- 

 ed wash basin above w^ater. The 

 part below being a continuation 

 of the part above. The nest is 

 hollowed on top and in this hol- 

 low are deposited the 5 to 8 

 chalk}^ eggs; pale blue at first but 

 soon stained to a brown, dirty 

 color. The eggs are almost 

 invariably found covered and in- 

 cubation most likely ' ' proceeds 

 without the aid of the parent 

 bird. The egg-s begin to incubate 

 as soon as laid for there are 8 

 stag-es in a set of 8 eggs. The 

 retiders are doubtless well ac- 

 quainted wath the g^eneral habits 

 of this species. I have yet to 

 note w^hen and how it performs 

 the migreition. Whether at night 

 or in the daytime, on wing- or on 

 foot or both. I have collected 

 many eggs of this species and 

 they may be found between the 



