NOTES ON THE WILD DUCK AND LITTLE GREBE. 283 



One was a large floating structure, not fastened to any reeds, 

 nor was any attempt made at binding the materials together in 

 any way ; it was simply a rotting mass of weeds and leaves. 

 Another nest, on the other hand, was neatly put together, and 

 quite a nice cup-shaped affair. It is not always easy to see if 

 the nests contain eggs or not, and one I pulled about, thinking 

 there might be eggs hidden, and found one. What was my 

 surprise on visiting the same nest two days after to find the bird 

 had put it together again and laid another egg. It is a mystery 

 to me how some of the eggs are even incubated, lying as they do 

 in a nest soaked through and through with water. 



In India, I feel sure, the eggs are mostly incubated by the 

 heat of the sun, as I never saw the old birds sitting during the 

 day. The eggs were always kept covered over with damp weeds, 

 and these, combined with the heat of the sun, no doubt set up 

 a sort of fermentation that aided incubation. 



The piece of water mentioned above is strictly preserved for 

 Trout, and as the Dabchick is supposed to feed largely on the 

 young and ova of these, it is not encouraged, and sometimes 

 gets rather a bad time, but owing to its natural cunning and 

 marvellous powers of diving is not often shot. Constant perse- 

 cution makes these birds exceedingly shy and wary ; but in 

 places where they are not molested they get comparatively tame. 

 A few days ago I was sitting by a large pond when I saw a Dab- 

 chick swimming straight towards me. I remained perfectly quiet, 

 and the bird then entered a clump of reeds within a few feet of 

 my position. I walked at once quietly and quickly to the spot and 

 found the nest, which contained one egg. Quick as I had been 

 the bird had been quicker, and when I arrived the egg was 

 covered up with an oak-leaf, and the bird gone. Quite small 

 ponds are chosen by this bird for its breeding quarters, especially 

 those thickly covered with rushes and water-buttercups (Ranun- 

 culus aquaticus). The nests I have never found placed far out on 

 the water, but quite close to the edge, and within easy reaching 

 distance. In England I have but few times seen the Dabchick 

 on the wing. On one occasion this was in the breeding season, 

 and it was flying quite rapidly and fairly high up round and 

 round a small pond. One I knew of used to fly every day up a 

 small stream and alight on a piece of mud, for what purpose I 



z 2 



