452 MISS E. L. TURNER ON THE COOT AND CRESTED GREBE. 
very quickly, but instead of settling down calmly and quietly 
as heretofore, she seemed strangely excited, moving her head 
from side to side with ear tufts and crest erect, yet paying 
no attention to me, so that I knew she was not alarmed. 
Suddenly she jumped up, uttered a little quick cry of joy, 
and at the same moment her mate returned with a tiny Grebe 
chick (plate 3). A great deal of delighted conversation 
ensued, the joy of the parents over their firstborn was almost 
human. It is impossible to describe in words the variety of 
inflections in this “ baby language ” which the old Grebe used 
when talking to, or about, their chicks. Those who have only 
heard the somewhat harsh, guttural cries of the adult bird 
can have no idea of the variety of expression and delicate 
modulation of which their voices are capable. I have also 
been very much impressed with this fact when watching at 
close quarters two Red-backed Shrikes feeding their young. 
When the young Grebe had been sufficiently admired for 
his powers in swimming, and allowed a little rest, the male 
bird slipped on to the eggs, while the female swam away 
with the chick. This went on all day, both parents 
taking turns on, or off, the nest, the chick of course enjoyed 
intervals of rest under his parent’s wings, or surveyed his 
little world from their warm shelter. The little head bobbed 
up and down if I made a slight movement ; or if the parent 
slipped off the nest in alarm the little one would be dragged 
away holding on to the down beneath his parent’s tail, and so 
hoist himself on to her back before they were out of my sight. 
If mother and son were at rest, the male bird came to and 
fro with food for both. At first the female took the fish from 
her mate and fed the chick herself as it lay under her wing 
(plate 8), but after the first day, the male gave the chick 
food direct. 
On Tuesday, May 22nd, there were three Coots and two 
Grebe chickens. The tiny Coots again scrambled into the 
water till I hid myself, returning later with their parents. As 
soon as the Grebe came back she at once began removing the 
broken eggshells (plate 4). I judged from this the second 
chick had not long been hatched. 
