THE YOUNG OOLOGIST. 



Ill 



wandered from home and hid her nest 

 among the reeds. 



Thd eggs are about the size of a bantam 

 hens, and of a handsome light buff color, 

 niiirked pretty thickly with reddish brown 

 spots and blotches. The number varies so 

 greatly that I have no doubt that more 

 than one bird sometimes occupies the same 

 nest. Many sets seemed to be complete 

 with seven or eight eggs, while some con- 

 tained as many as thirteen. In all cases 

 when the number was large, they were in 

 various stages of incubation, some ranging 

 all the way from "fresh" to newly 

 hatched. The birds slipped off the nests 

 and quietly stole away among the thick 

 moss so that it was very difficult to see 

 them. In all their ways they are remark- 

 ably like a domestic fowl so that the com- 

 mon local name of "water chicken" is 

 quite appropriate. They can swim very 

 well indeed, though their feet are not 

 webbed at all, and their long toes spread 

 wide apart enabling them to stand and I'un 

 upon the water plants and lily pads with 

 ease, giving them at a distance the appear- 

 ance of walking on the water. Like all 

 the rail family, though their flight is slow 

 and they make a fair mark, they are 

 diflicult to shoot because of the fact that 

 immediately upon rising they fly to the 

 nearest cover, and as they are rarely seen 

 more than a few feet from this, it is neces- 

 sary to shoot very quickly. They are 

 h mted a great deal, as they are delicious 

 eating and fair sport ; still they seem to 

 thrive, and, after many years I can not see 

 that their numbers have diminished much, 

 though they have become very shy. 



While searching for the nest of the 

 galinule, you will probablj^ discover what 

 you think is a last years nest of one of 

 these birds, sodden and water soaked, just 

 floating upon the water and just ready to 

 sink, caught in the grass but likely to go 

 away at any minute. Don't pass this by 

 without a closer look at it, and you will 

 find that it is not an old nest but a new 

 one. Although built of the oldest and most 

 water soaked rubbish which can be col- 

 lected from the muddy bottom of the 



river, it will not sink entirely, though it is 

 almost submerged ; but on the contrary, 

 if the water rises it will rise with it. It 

 will not float away, but is secui-ely fastened 

 to the grass, and finally, if you look care- 

 fully, you will see that a little of Ihe 

 material in the middle of the nest is loosely 

 placed, carefully remove this and you will 

 find under it a set of eggs ; from four to 

 seven of the Pied-billed Grebe or Dab- 

 chick, (Thick-billed Grebe). These eggs, 

 if freshly laid, are a pretty pale blue, but 

 soon become dusky and dirty, stained with 

 the wet and muddy material of the nest ; 

 they are a trifle smaller and more pointed 

 than the last species, and the shells are 

 thick and chalky. Like the last, they have 

 been set upon since laying begun, and ihe 

 pale blue one is perfectly fresh, while the 

 dirty brown one in the same nest is well 

 along toward hatching. The contents of 

 these eggs has a very peculiar consislency, 

 sticky and bright oi-ange red. As you will 

 have learned from the description, the bird 

 covers them when she leaves the nest, and 

 very quickly and neatly she does it too — 

 just a scratch or so of the loose materiMl 

 and it it is done, and she slips in the water 

 and dives a long way before she makes her 

 apperance again. In observing her actions 

 we found an opera glass invaluable, as 

 indeed it is for observing all most all birds. 

 The diving of these birds, as almost all 

 know, is something wonderful ; and 

 whether it is true or not that they dive at 

 the flash of a gun, it is certain that they 

 are exceedingly diflficult to kill if they see 

 yovi before you shoot. If, however, you 

 can approach them unobserved they are 

 no more difficult to kill than a duck. They 

 make poor work of rising, beating the 

 water with their wings for a long waj- and 

 graduall}^ end by sinking back again, and 

 if they are still pursued dive for a long- 

 distance. — TJic Collector. 



We are pleased to note that Mr. A. M. 

 Shields, a name familiar to the readers of 

 the Young Oologist, of Los Angeles, 

 Gala. , was awarded a Diploma and Silver 

 Medal for the best Oological Exhil)it at 

 the Fair, recently held in that City. 



