Birds within Ten Miles of Point 
de Monts, Can, Comeatt & Merriam 
/ 
141. Podicipes griseigena holboelli. Red-necked Grebe. — Rare; 
one shot in September. 
Ball N. 0 . 0, 7, Oct, 1882, p. 241 
Capture of a Red-n f.okf. d Greb e, (Podiceps 
holbolli ,,) in Western Ontario— On the 11th of 
February, 1885, on bank of river Thames, two 
miles north of Plover Mills, county of Middlesex, 
Ontario, an individual of the above species was 
captured under the following circumstances. Mr. 
Hartwick, a farmer, noticed near his house the 
bird in question, sitting on a snow bank, and com¬ 
pletely enveloped in ice. Although alive, its 
wings were so firmly fastened by the frost that it 
was compelled to submit to be taken by hand. 
Carried to the house, it was placed in water, 
when it at once revived, dipping, diving and 
preening its feathers in the liveliest manner. It 
refused, however, to eat any of the food placed 
before it, with the exception of some fir leaves 
(abies) of which it partook sparingly. Placed out¬ 
side the house and allowed full liberty, it refused 
to leave, walking deliberately, nonchalently and 
in the characteristically erect position back to the 
place which had proved such a pleasant retreat 
from the wintry storm. At the end of its third 
day in captivity the poor Grebe died, after which 
event it came into the possession of my friend, 
Mr. S. R. Reynolds, who has had it mounted and 
placed in his collection. It should be stated that 
on the day previous a flock, estimated to comprise 
ten or a dozen birds of presumably the same ■ 
species, was observed flying low in the vicinity. 
They appeared much confused, dispersing and 
gathering together alternately, and uttering cries 
of distress. The weather was extremely cold.— 
Pobt. Elliot, o.&o. X, June.1885. p. 
\<M 
L-, i&u. C- 2, - 
Holbgell’s Grebe (Colymhus holboelli ).— Oct. 16 a local 
gunner took a male on the Ottawa River of this rather rare species. 
What interested me was its stomach contents, which consisted of 
a bunch of feathers. As it is not known to feed on anything having 
feathers, it is somewhat surprizing. I looked up the matter in 
books at my command, but found little in explanation. Warren 
in his ‘Birds of Pennsylvania’ states that he found feathers in the 
stomachs of two of these grebes. In the ancient ‘Knight’s Pictorial 
Museum of Animated Nature,’I found it stated that this grebe 
plucks out some of its own feathers either purposely to “aid in 
digestion” or inadvertently while preening. I cleaned the feathers 
therefore, and on close inspection and comparison it is seen that 
they undoubtedly are some of its own feathers. But why these 
birds should swallow so many of their feathers while preening, 
whereas none are found in the gizzards of other birds that preen 
just as much, would, I think, be hard to say. Or do they really 
eat them purposely to ‘ aid digestion ’ ? 
Holbcell’s Grebe at Niagara Falls.— While on a trip to Niagara Falls 
this past fall (Sept. 20, 1903) in company with Mr. Frederick C. Hubei, 1 
picked up a fine specimen (ad. $) of Holbcell’s Grebe (Colymbus holbcellii) 
on the Canadian side just opposite the American Falls. Upon question¬ 
ing the proprietor of a curio shop, a few feet from the spot, he informed 
me that he shot the bird early that same morning swimming out in the 
rapids. Personal examination proved that the grebe had been dead only 
a few hours.— Alexander W. Blain, Jr., Detroit , Mich. 
