( 339 ) 



AN OBSERVATIONAL DIARY OF THE HABITS— 

 MOSTLY DOMESTIC -OF THE GREAT CRESTED 

 GREBE {PODICIPES CRIST ATUS), AND OF THE 

 PEEWIT (VANELLUS VULGARIS), WITH SOME 

 GENERAL REMARKS. 



By Edmund Selous. 



I MUST premise that for many mornings before the date at 

 which I commenced to take notes I had watched this pair of 

 Grebes, but seen nothing which struck me as of interest. I could 

 not detect a nest, nor were the birds building ; so that, judging 

 by the dates and the working hours of last year, I thought all 

 this was to come. As it turned out, however, last year was no 

 criterion for this, and I regret now that I did not begin watching 

 sooner, and stay, each morning, later. As the nest — which, I 

 afterwards found, had been already completed — seemed much 

 less massive, and generally inferior to the ones I had previously 

 seen made, it would have interested me to have observed whether 

 there was any corresponding difference in the building of it, any- 

 thing suggesting that it was built with an object other than that 

 of incubation — or rather, with such other object alone. Of this, 

 however, I will speak later. It is, of course, impossible actually 

 to prove that these Grebes were the same ones that I have before 

 given an account of. ' But as they were the one and only pair on 

 the same sheet of water, and as the nest was in approximately 

 the same place, I assume and feel personally quite certain that 

 they were. As will have been gathered, though I have not 

 expressly stated it, there was only one pair of Grebes (and, for 

 a few days, an odd bird) on the water last year. I now com- 

 mence my diary. 



April 22nd, 1901. — Something is now visible in the conduct 

 of the two Grebes, which seems to betoken the approach of 

 nuptial activities. They seem to become excited, occasionally, 

 together. One dives, and is instantly followed by the other. 



* Ante, p. 161. 



2d2 



