752 MR. W. G. CLARKE ON BIRD-LIFE OF THE MERES. 
stretched its head forward, opening its beak wide, and uttering 
a sharp metallic chink, chink ; each time a similar answer 
coming from another of the family at the far end of the mere. 
Like Coot, Little Grebe are generally to be seen on the meres, 
and I have on several occasions seen twenty at one time. 
Nests are to be found every year, usually near the edge, but 
sometimes in three feet of water. On August 29th, 1905, 
Mr. W. A. Dutt and I watched a brood on Fowlmere. One 
of the old birds — presumably the male — was in charge of 
a single chick, and the other of three. The male would dive 
and bring up a piece of weed. The chick being unaware 
where he would come to the surface was usually paddling 
round gently, but even though looking in an opposite direction 
seemed somehow to be aware directly food was ready for it, 
and turning round would hurry joyfully to its parent, some- 
times taking the food from its bill, and sometimes from the 
surface of the water where it had been placed. Occasionally 
the chick put its head under water, apparently watching the 
movements of its parent. On May 23rd, 1908, there were 
several nests around Ringmere, either on the edge of the water 
or not more than a couple of yards from the margin. Watch- 
ing one nest on which we had noted the eggs were covered with 
weed, I saw one of the old birds return, remove the weed with 
its feet, although I believe it is usually done with the beak, 
and then sit on the eggs. There were two Little Grebe’s nests 
on the shore of Langmere, about five feet from the edge of the 
water, one with the eggs covered with weed and the other 
with two eggs exposed. Another nest was on the bank and 
adjoining it was another smaller and shallower nest. The nests 
of Coot and Little Grebe on Langmere were, it is worthy of 
note, entirely unprotected by vegetation of any kind and 
were in some cases visible nearly half a mile distant. I have 
never seen a Great Crested Grebe on any of the meres, but 
on September 5th, 1907, in company with Mr. H. Lowerison 
and M. Fernand Nerson, I watched for some considerable time 
two pairs of Grebe on Fowlmere, and although our description 
of plumage, &c., written down at the time did not agree 
exactly with either the Sclavonian Grebe or the Eared Grebe, 
