Grebes 



mother's back to rest, so the young grebes may often be seen. 

 With an underthrust from the mother's wing, which answers 

 every purpose of a spring-board, the fledglings are precipitated 

 into the water, and so acquire very early in life the art of diving, 

 which in this family reaches its most perfect development. For 

 a while, however, the young try to escape danger by hiding in 

 the rushes of the lake, stream, or salt-water inlet, rather than by 

 diving. 



Grebes are not maritime birds. Their preference is for slow- 

 moving waters, especially at the nesting season, since their nests 

 are floating ones, and their food consists of small fish, mollusks, 

 newts, and grain, such as the motionless inland waters abundantly 

 afford. In winter, when we see the birds near our coasts, they 

 usually feed on small fish alone. Unhappily the plumage of this 

 and other grebes is in demand by milliners and furriers, to supply 

 imaginary wants of unthinking women. 



Pied-billed Grebe 



(Podilymbus podiceps) 



Called also: DABCHICK; DIEDAPPER; LITTLE GREBE; HELL- 

 DIVER; WATER-WITCH; CAROLINA GREBE; DIPPER; 

 DIPCHICK 



Length — 14 inches. Smallest of the grebes. 



Male and Female — In summer: Upper parts dusky, grayish brown ; 

 wings varied with ashy and white; throat black; upper 

 breast, sides of throat, and sides of body yellowish brown, 

 irregularly and indistinctly mottled or barred with blackish 

 and washed with yellowish brown ; lower breast and under- 

 neath glossy white. A few bristling feathers on head, but no 

 horns. Bill spotted with dusky and blue (pied-billed) and 

 crossed with a black band. Toes elongated and with broad 

 lobes of skin. In winter: Similar to summer plumage, ex- 

 cept that throat is white and the black band on bill is 

 lacking. 



Young — Like adults in winter. Heads beautifully striped with 

 black, white, and yellowish brown. 



Range — British provinces and United States and southward to 

 Brazil, Argentine Republic, including the West Indies and 

 Bermuda, breeding almost throughout its range. 



II 



