BIRDS. 



Ill 



North Fork of the Fhithead is to be seen at Lewis's Hotel, and Mr. 

 F. F. Liebig, of Kalispcll, has one that came from Lalte INIcDonald 

 before the pai'lc was esta)ibslu'(L It lias lieen seen in simihir country 

 close to the park, and one of its floating nests has been found by 

 Mr. Donald H. Stevenson inside the park. 



When the grebes nest, as they nsually do, in colonies in the tides, 

 after the nesting season they assemble in large companies about good 

 feeding grounds, where thej' disport themselves with so nuich vivacity 

 and originality that they supply ready entertainment for many a 

 summer day. Their presence may be recognized by their loud, dis- 

 tinctive l;a-ree' , I'ct-rec' , and its variations which carrj^ far over the 

 water. Or, they may be picked ont from a flock of quiet phlegmatic 

 ducks lying on the water by their quick motions, slender necks, and 

 rapid disappearances and reappearances ; for like all grebes they are 

 rapid, expert divers. They also have the grebe habit of lying on one 

 side, showing the silvery and all too famous grebe breast. Across 

 the width of a laJ^e, mirror- 

 like flashes from the breast 

 ■should be watched for, as 

 also short white lines on 

 the surface of the water, 

 for the long swan-like necks 

 seen at a distance suggest 

 short, white sticks vanish- 

 ing and reappearing so 

 rapidly that it is difiicultto 

 keep track of them. But if 

 you would see these charming birds at their best, get near enough to 

 watch their dextrous work and their delightful individual play. 



FIoLBCELL Grebe : Colymhus IioIh(elIi. — While we saw the Holbcell 

 onlj' on the lower Waterton Lake in Alberta during the summer, 

 it has been found by Mr. Bryant on Lake McDonald, and on April 

 22, 1918, two were seen by Mr. Bailey, " one at the upper end of the 

 lake in quiet water and one out in the middle of the lake where big 

 waves were rolling higher than its head ; " so another rare possibility 

 is open to observers on that lake rich in opportunities. 



Next to the western gi'ebe in size and striking appearance the 

 Holboell has a rather heavy red neck and a white throat patch that 

 give it a certain stolidity of appearance when compared with the 

 swan grebe; but while it may lack vivacity and grace, like all the 

 grebes it is a master of its trade and a study of an old mother diving 

 for water weeds for her young, and leading them along safe and 

 pleasant shores will afford many enjoyable hours. 



From Handbook of Birds of the Western United States. 



Fig. 19. — Western grebe. 



