216 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



immediately, she came off into the water again, and there was 

 more ministering to the needs of the nest ; or, rather, as I 

 should be inclined to say, more secondary sexual activity in 

 regard to it, on the part of both the birds, several pieces of the 

 growing sedge being pulled off by them and laid upon it, especi- 

 ally by the female, who then mounted on to it again, and, stand- 

 ing up, pulled more flags down upon it, and detached and laid 

 down pieces of them in the same way. She then, a second 

 time, invited the male to come up by assuming the appropriate 

 posture, but, being again disappointed, again came off, and they 

 both continued for awhile to add material to the nest ; then 

 swam a little away from it, and remained quiet amidst the 

 sedge. In a moment or two, however, they approached the 

 nest again ; the female once more ascended and lay along it, 

 and she was now quickly followed by the male. His attitude, 

 as far as I could see, for the rushes, which a little obscured him, 

 was well-nigh upright, and in the considerable pause which 

 preceded coition he uttered a peculiar deep guttural note 

 (" kor-r-r "), which, or something like which, I think I have 

 heard at the end of the long, cat-like mew. During coition 

 both birds were extremely vocal. As before, the notes of either 

 differed, but I cannot keep the odd sounds in my memory 

 distinctly enough to transcribe them. From coition the birds 

 passed immediately to the associated instinct, the female whilst 

 still on the nest. The male, however, did not stay, but, sliding 

 off it, began to busy himself as before. There was then another 

 short retirement, another approach, another ascent and invita- 

 tion on the part of the female, which was not responded to by 

 the male, after which the birds came out on the water, preened 

 themselves, floated at ease, and finally went to sleep.* 



I think the facts here recorded justify me in saying that 

 there is, in the minds of these birds, an intimate association 

 between the marital act and the construction or manipulation 

 of the materials of the nest, and this same bond of connection I 



* No case of functional hermaphroditism was observed by me in this 

 species, but I may take this opportunity of recording that this is habitual in 

 the case of the Little Grebe, to go by a pair which I have since watched 

 under conditions rendering mistake impossible. My observations on the 

 Great Crested Grebe, in ths particular, are, therefore, more than corroborated. 



