184 CURIOUS HOMES AND THEIR TENANTS. 



sued, the bird dives, and, as it can swim under the 

 water two hundred feet in the course of half a min- 

 ute, and when it comes to the surface to breathe can 

 keep its whole body submerged, only allowing its 

 beak to appear above the surface before it dives again, 

 and can repeat the operation as often as occasion calls 

 for, it is pretty sure to escape — much more so than if 

 it took wing. 



Papa and Mamma Grebe are an extremely attached 

 couple. If one by any accident strays to a distance, 

 the lake resounds with the anxious cries of the other 

 calling the wanderer back again ; and if the truant 

 bird is within hearing — it must have gone a long way 

 off if it is not — it hastens to the side of its mate, and 

 the two, swimming together side by side, iitter the 

 fondest notes of mutual endearment as they play- 

 fully caress each other. 



Though rather ungainly -looking fowls away from 

 their native element, they are handsome birds on the 

 water, with their boat-shaped bodies, long, slender 

 necks, and small heads ; their plumage is dense and 

 thick, and upon the lower part of the body as smooth 

 and glossy as satin. They have also their wedding 

 ornaments. When they mate, a curious collar or frill 

 makes its appearance along the side of the face and 

 neck, or in some species tufts of feathers decorated 

 with bright colors. 



No birds live so exclusively upon the water as do 

 grebes, for it is only by the rarest accident that they 

 ever make their appearance on shore. 



The lake on which they live not only furnishes 



