MISS E. L. TURNER ON THE COOT AND CRESTED GREBE. 453 
On one occasion whilst the Grebes were absent, the Coot paid 
the visit of inspection to her neighbour’s nest, depicted in 
plate 5. Whether this visit was inspired by mere feminine 
curiosity, or spite, I am unable to determine, certainly she 
gave one of the Grebe’s eggs a vicious poke and started off 
guiltily when I released my shutter, moreover, that third egg 
of the Grebe did not hatch out ! 
In plate 6, both Coots are feeding and admiring their young 
ones, which unfortunately do not show up, owing to their 
small size and general duskiness. All that Tuesday the Grebes 
behaved as before, except that there were two chicks to 
admire and feed. It struck me that the young Grebe must 
have no small difficulty in “ hanging on ” when the parent 
bird jerks on to the nest in the somewhat ungainly manner 
peculiar to it. One favourite trick of the male Grebe 
puzzled me much : he would lure one chick to the edge of 
the nest, then, dipping a feather in the water would shake 
it before the little one, swimming to and fro uttering en- 
couraging sounds as he did so. The feather was constantly 
dipped in the water and shaken. Perhaps in this way the 
chick is taught to cling to its parent’s feathers; but as feathers 
are found in the gizzard of the Great Crested Grebe “ instead 
of stones” (see Pycraft’s ‘ Bird Life’), it may be the young 
birds are thus early taught to swallow them for digestive 
purposes. I cannot say 1 actually saw the young Grebe 
swallow feathers, the manoeuvre, though often repeated, 
had no definite result as far as I could see. 
In plate 7, the Coot is covering her chicks and watching 
for her mate. The male Grebe is swimming away with both 
young birds under his wings, and the female inspecting her 
one remaining addled egg. 
On Wednesday, 23rd. the Coot had successfully hatched 
out her four young ones, and though’ always in the nest when 
I went to my hiding-place, did not return to it all the while 
I was there, but swam about its neighbourhood for hours 
at a time, evidentlj’ returning to the old home for several 
nights. The Grebes soon forsook the one remaining egg, and 
devoted themselves to their two chicks, so that my oppor- 
