2 BULLETIN 107, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 
sharply outlined against the green background, the glossy black © 
crown, the fiery red eyes, and the javelin-like beak. Who could help 
admiring such a picture of aquatic grace, such specialized mastery of 3 
its native element? Its delicately poised head was ever alert, its 
keen red eyes were watching every motion and, as I moved one step - 
‘nearer, the graceful neck was arched, the javelin beak plunged down- 
ward, and the. slim body; ‘followed ‘in’ a curve below the surface, 
leaving scarcely any wake behind it. ‘The water was clear and I was 
near enough to follow its course as it-sped away beneath the surface 
a long slender pointed craft, propelled by two powerful paddles and 
with wings tightly closed. The western grebe is certainly a water 
nymph of the first class, built for speed and action, the most highly 
specialized of all our diving birds. 
Courtship.—The western grebes reach their breeding grounds in 
the inland lakes during May, early in the month in North Dakota, 
about May 8 to 12 in southern Canada, and before the end of the 
month farther north. I have never witnessed their nuptial per- 
formances, but Mr. William L. Finley has sent me the following 
notes on the subject: 
The first action, which I have often noticed during the nesting season of the 
grebe, is when the two birds swim side by side. They throw the head and 
neck back which gives one the impression at a distance that the birds are 
preening their plumage. When I saw the action near at hand, I noticed that 
each. bird arched its neck continually, the bill turned straight down and the 
black crest spread. At the same time, both birds curved and swayed their 
necks back in a rythmical manner, touching them against their bodies. It was 
like a backward bow. 
‘ A.second performance, the water glide of the grebe, was not as common 
as the antics just mentioned. However, it seemed to be a climax to the per- 
formance above, As.the two birds swam side by side both suddenly stood 
upright as if walking on the top of the water and rushed along, splashing 
the surface for 20 or 30 feet, with wings tight to the body. Then they dropped 
to their breasts in a graceful glide that carried them along for about 15 
feet farther. tee 
The third performance might well be termed purely a wedding dance. I 
.Saw it three times within close range, and each time it was exactly the same. 
As two birds were swimming together, ‘both ‘dove. They rose to the top of 
the water a few moments later, each holding a piece of moss or weed in 
the bill. Instantly they faced each other and rose, treading water, with 
bodies half above the surface and necks stretched straight up. They treaded 
around, breast to breast, until they made three or four circles, and then 
dropped down to a normal attitude, at the same time flirting the moss out 
of their mouths and swimming off in an unconcerned manner. 
The first two performances are typical mating or courting antics, while 
the last is the most significant wedding dance I have ever seen in bird life. 
Nesting.—The Crane Lake colony, referred to above, was a typical, 
large colony of the plains or prairie region. I visited this colony . 
two years in succession and made several trips into the slough each 
