98 



Bulletin of the 



A LARGE SET OF GREBE EGGS. 



For many years 1 have made annual visits to the St. Clair Flats in order 

 to extend my knowledge of our water birds. 



The Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) is not only a common resi- 

 dence, but also an early breeder and a bird of very interesting nesting habits, 

 especially the trait of covering its eggs, which never fails to elicit praise from 

 the student. 



On May 31st, 1903, while rowing across one of the larger bays, I saw an 

 American Bittern fly into some rushes on a small reedy island. Swiftly but 

 with as little noise as possible I made for this spot. My appearance was so 

 sudden that the Bittern did not see me until I stood up ; he then took to 

 flight. Directly in front of the boat and not over six feet away was a Grebe's 

 nest full of eggs and they were uncovered. The radius of this island was not 

 over fifty feet. A three-minute search convinced me that the Bittern was not 

 nesting, so I turned my attention to the Grebe nest and found it completely 

 covered with decaying and marsh grass. Although at no time more than 

 fifty feet from this nest and always in view, the old bird had returned, cov- 

 ered her eggs and retreated. She had made not the slightest sound nor was 

 there a ripple in the water to indicate her presence. Another surprise awaited 

 me for the nest contained ten eggs, one being one-fourth smaller than the 

 remainder. Walter C. Wood, 



> Detroit, Mich, 



MUSEUM 

 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. 



MINUTES OF CLUB MEETINGS. 



October 2nd. — Meeting held at the Detroit Museum of Art. Alex. W. 

 Blain, Jr., read a paper entitled "Do Wild Birds Die Instantly?" The subject 

 provoked a lengthy discussion, in which Messrs. J. C. Wood, Wisner, W. C. 



