162 The Birds of Albany County 



SUBORDER PODICIPEDES 



Family Podicipidee 



PlED-BiLLEX) Grebe. — Podil^mbus podkeps. 13.51 



Uncommon Summer Resident 



Field marks. — Moves about surface of water like a Duck; bill 

 light, crossed by band of black; plumage various shades 

 of brown, darker in Autumn. 



This small bird of our inland waters is more generally 

 known by the name of Hell-diver for its skill in disappearing 

 beneath the surface on the approach of an enemy. Their 

 hearing is extremely acute and the stories of their dodging 

 gun-shot are not exaggerated. I have seen them shot at from 

 a distance of about four rods and they easily dived beneath 

 the water before the shot struck the surface. So soon as the 

 reverberations of tfie discharge had died away die little Dab- 

 chick (another common name) arose to the surface and floated 

 serenely about, but always with an eye on the offensive 

 gunner. Once upon a time I managed to crawl through 

 some close brush, very near to where one was swimming 

 unconcernedly on the quiet water. When the smoke of my 

 gun had cleared up, I found the body of the pretty creature 

 floating on the surface. This was my only offense. These 

 Grebes breed sparingly in Albany County. The nest is built 

 among the reeds. The eggs are from four to ei^t and are 

 dull white. 



