276 
LITTLE GREBE 
when placed on the palm of my hand. It pecked viciously 
at my other hand when I attempted to touch it. When 
placed on the ground it ran rapidly for a distance of forty 
yards without being able to rise from the ground, although 
it freely used its wings. I brought the bird home and kept 
it until the next day, and had a good opportunity of watch- 
ing its habits. When sitting on a flat surface its legs were 
placed quite flat on the ground, pointing outwards, but when 
it ran, as it could do rapidly, it used the two end joints 
of the toes, the legs then being bent and the body being 
inclined forward in an upright and awkward position ; 
when checked it would at once settle down and defend 
itself with its beak. When placed in the water its move- 
ments were different and beautiful. It dived and swam 
with outstretched neck, the legs being worked together in 
even beats ; the wings were not used to aid it. On coming 
to the surface the body at first was much submerged, but it 
would soon raise itself by treading water, and, after fluttering 
its wings and shaking its feathers, would settle buoyantly 
on the water and preen its feathers, which it was always 
careful to arrange after coming to the surface. When 
swimming on the water its legs were moved alternately 
in an outward direction, and were kept low in the water. 
It could check itself when swimming on the surface with 
great suddenness. When I gave it some small live fish, 
it caught them in the water, then after repeatedly wetting 
and squeezing them in its bill would swallow them. It also 
ate a few spiders, always treating them in the same way. 
After swallowing any food it carefully rinsed its bill. When 
preening its feathers while on the ground, an operation it 
was evidently not used to, it had difficulty in retaining its 
balance. 
' On the Curragh I have seen them dive, when alarmed, 
with a clumsy splash.' 
