WATERFOWL IN NEBRASKA, 31 



Lake, June 7; 1 at White Willow Lake, near the source of the North Loup 

 River, June 16; 3 on the Hague Lakes, in Morrill County, June 21; and 1 

 on Jones Lake, east of Swan Lake, Garden County, June 21. This bird was 

 seen both in the hills in the vicinity of the lakes and along the shores near the 

 water. 



Nongame Birds. 



t WESTERN GREBE. Aechmophoms ocoidentaUs. 



The western grebe was found nesting at Island Lake, Garden County, in June, 



1916. 



HORNED GREBE. Colymius auritus. 



This grebe, during summer, is apparently very rare in the sandhill region, 

 as the writer saw but a single individual in June, this in a small pond close to 

 Cornell Lake, north of Big Alkali Lake, on .Tune 9, 1915. 



One was seen on Clear Lake, eastern Cherry County, October 9, 1915. 



AMERICAN EARED GREBE. Colymbus nigricollis californicus. 



The American eared grebe, so far as we observed it, stayed principally in the 

 open water, though of course at times among the rushes, and apparently is fond 

 of swimming about and diving far out in the middle of the lakes. Its habit of 

 holding the neck and crest erect makes it easy to distinguish even at a distance. 



This is one of the most abundant of the summer water birds in the region, 

 and breeds on many of the lakes. The writer counted 349 on Dads Lake on 

 June 7, 305 of them in a single company. On White Willow Lake, near the head 

 of the North Loup River, 186 were seen on June 16. It was abundant on Dewej' 

 Lake from June 3 to 18 ; Willow Lake, June 4 to 14 ; Trout Lake, June 9 and 

 11; at Wendler Swamp, June 10 and 18; Pearson Lake, June 18; and Speckel- 

 mire Lake, June 16. It was common on Silver Lake, June 16 ; Rat Lake, Brown 

 County, June 14 ; West Chain Lake, Brown County, June 14 ; Johnson Lake, 

 June 8 ; West Twin Lake, eastern Cherry County, June 8 ; the Hague Lakes, 

 eastern Morrill County. June 21; Bean Lake, .Tune 21 and 22; and the Peterson 

 Lakes, Garden County, June 22. It was rather generally distributed throughout 

 the lakes of Garden, Morrill, and Brown Counties, but somewhat more irregu- 

 larly in the other localities. 



A single individual was noted on Red Deer Lake, eastern Cherry County, 

 October 6 ; 2 on Moon Lake, Brown County, October 10 ; and 1 on Goose Lake, 

 Garden County, October 14. 



PIED-BILLED GREBE. Podilymbus podiceps podicepa. 



Unlike the preceding species, this grebe did not frequent much the open 

 water, but kept for the most part within the protection of the reeds and rushes 

 bordering the lakes. At the eastern end of Dewey Lake on June 4, a nest in the 

 rushes near the shore, from which a female was seen to depart, was found to 

 contain 8 eggs. It finally came to grief in a heavy windstorm which a few 

 days later swept the lake. 



This bird of retiring habits is apparently not very common. I did not see it 

 at all during June in Morrill County, nor in any of the lakes about the source 

 of the North Loup River. Two were seen at Marsh Lake, Brown County, June 

 13 ; 1 on Welker Lake, June 11 ; 1 at Wendler Swamp, June 10 ; 4 on Johnson 

 Lake, June 8 ; 1 on Red Deer Lake, June 8 ; 1 on West Twin Lake, eastern 

 Cherry County, June 8 ; 3 on Long Lake, eastern Cherry County, June 5 ; 1 on 

 Watts Lake, June 5 ; 2 on Hackberry Lake, June 5 ; 4 on Willow Lake, June 4 ; 

 and 3 on South Cody Lake, June 1. 



