﻿ORNITHOLOGICAL 
  NOTES. 
  257 
  

  

  I 
  saw 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  families 
  scuttling 
  about 
  among 
  the 
  reed- 
  

   patehes, 
  but 
  came 
  upon 
  only 
  one 
  nest 
  where 
  the 
  young 
  were 
  

   just 
  hatching. 
  On 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  our 
  skiff 
  the 
  parent 
  flew 
  across 
  

   to 
  the 
  opposite 
  bank, 
  and 
  set 
  up 
  a 
  most 
  plaintive 
  cry, 
  almost 
  a 
  

   piping 
  ; 
  but 
  at 
  last, 
  gaining 
  confidence, 
  or 
  from 
  sheer 
  anxiety 
  for 
  

   her 
  offspring, 
  she 
  sedately 
  paddled 
  her 
  way 
  back, 
  coming 
  quite 
  

   near 
  to 
  the 
  boat. 
  In 
  the 
  meantime 
  some 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  black, 
  

   downy 
  little 
  chicks 
  scrambled 
  over 
  the 
  rim 
  of 
  the 
  nest-cup 
  into 
  

   the 
  water, 
  leaving 
  behind 
  three 
  "chipping" 
  eggs. 
  The 
  inmate 
  

   of 
  one 
  was 
  crying 
  loudly, 
  and 
  fretting 
  with 
  its 
  beak 
  at 
  a 
  perfora- 
  

   tion 
  in 
  the 
  shelly 
  walls 
  of 
  its 
  prison. 
  With 
  great 
  care 
  I 
  con- 
  

   tributed 
  to 
  its 
  freedom 
  by 
  paring 
  off 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  shell, 
  when 
  with 
  

   one 
  supreme 
  effort 
  the 
  youngster 
  wriggled 
  forth, 
  and 
  squatted 
  in 
  

   the 
  nest-cup. 
  Although 
  so 
  young, 
  the 
  chicks 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  were 
  

   possessed 
  of 
  considerable 
  temerity, 
  and 
  came 
  along, 
  their 
  already 
  

   long-toed 
  feet 
  working 
  vigorously, 
  aiding 
  themselves 
  with 
  their 
  

   little 
  stumps 
  of 
  wings. 
  So 
  fearless 
  were 
  they 
  that 
  they 
  swam 
  on 
  

   the 
  palm 
  of 
  my 
  hand, 
  and, 
  fearing 
  that 
  they 
  might 
  be 
  hurt 
  by 
  

   the 
  boat, 
  I 
  placed 
  them 
  among 
  the 
  reeds, 
  and 
  pushed 
  off, 
  much 
  

   to 
  the 
  relief 
  of 
  the 
  parent 
  no 
  doubt, 
  who 
  now 
  scurried 
  about 
  in 
  

   the 
  tangle 
  collecting 
  her 
  brood. 
  

  

  Within 
  three 
  yards 
  of 
  this 
  interesting 
  family 
  was 
  moored 
  the 
  

   wet 
  oozy 
  collection 
  of 
  vegetable-matter 
  that 
  does 
  duty 
  as 
  a 
  nest 
  

   for 
  the 
  Little 
  Grebe 
  or 
  Dabchick. 
  Altogether, 
  I 
  found 
  eight 
  

   Dabchicks' 
  nests, 
  and 
  these, 
  like 
  the 
  Moorhens', 
  contained 
  eggs 
  

   in 
  all 
  stages 
  of 
  incubation, 
  whilst 
  one 
  family 
  was 
  observed 
  

   attended 
  by 
  the 
  parents. 
  The 
  most 
  usual 
  number 
  for 
  a 
  clutch 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  three, 
  but 
  one 
  nest 
  contained 
  four. 
  In 
  every 
  case 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  were 
  covered 
  with 
  wet 
  weeds. 
  I 
  was 
  fortunate 
  in 
  seeing 
  

   one 
  Little 
  Grebe 
  carrying 
  out 
  this 
  pretty 
  deceit, 
  which 
  is 
  one, 
  I 
  

   should 
  imagine, 
  that 
  answers 
  very 
  well, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  marauding 
  

   mammals, 
  birds, 
  and 
  reptiles 
  are 
  concerned. 
  I 
  saw 
  this 
  par- 
  

   ticular 
  Grebe 
  get 
  up 
  on 
  its 
  nest, 
  deftly 
  pulling 
  on 
  a 
  coverlet 
  of 
  

   weeds 
  as 
  it 
  did 
  so, 
  and 
  at 
  once 
  dive 
  into 
  the 
  tangle 
  at 
  the 
  margin 
  

   of 
  the 
  river. 
  No 
  doubt 
  this 
  covering 
  is 
  to 
  hide 
  the 
  conspicuous 
  

   eggs 
  from 
  the 
  sharp 
  eyes 
  of 
  egg-stealing 
  birds, 
  &c, 
  and 
  it 
  may 
  

   also 
  serve 
  to 
  keep 
  them 
  warm, 
  for 
  I 
  noticed 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  nests 
  

   were 
  very 
  warm 
  to 
  the 
  touch. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  nests 
  were 
  built 
  of 
  

   fresher 
  materials, 
  and 
  consequently 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  only 
  stained 
  

   Zool. 
  Mh 
  ser. 
  vol. 
  VIII., 
  July, 
  1904. 
  x 
  

  

  