74 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



of coition upon it. Evidently the nest, with this species, as 

 with the Great Crested Grebe — probably the whole family*— is 

 " love's roseate bower." 



Wishing, now, to see if they also shared the habit of 

 covering the eggs, when leaving them, with some of the materials 

 of the nest, I walked along the bank of the stream past that one 

 of the two nests belonging to the incubating pair. I have no 

 doubt the bird was sitting at the time, but it was sufficiently 

 wary to let me see nothing of it, and when I passed, two eggs 

 alone were but partially visible through pieces of flag laid across 

 them. This is just what it might have been with Dabchicks, in 

 which species (as I have personally ascertained) the habit is 

 neither invariable nor always completely carried out. As the 

 number of eggs laid by this Grebe varies (we are told) t from two 

 to four, I cannot say whether there were more than these two, 

 in the nest, but completely covered. 



(To be continued.) 



* As also (I can now add) some other families, 

 f Dresser's ' Birds of Europe.' 



