504 
THE STORY OF THE BIRDS. 
the easiest of all clucks to net and snare; immense numbers being captured 
during the cold weather in India, and kept alive through the summer in 
specially constructed “tealeries.” 
Mute Swan —It is best known in the British Islands as a domesticated bird, 
but there is little doubt that there are some wild specimens. The mute swan 
may be easily recognized by the color of its beak, in which the base is black 
and the point orange-red. It is found all over Europe and in some parts of 
Asia, and during the winter enters Northern Africa, Egypt and Northwestern 
India. While swimming, the mute swan is the most graceful of all its kin, 
being the one in which alone the neck is bent in true “swanlike” form. Deriv¬ 
ing its name from the absence of any cry in the domestic race, it appears that 
wild birds trumpet like the whooper. The nesting-time—during which the 
male bird displays extreme pugnacity—takes place in May; the nests being 
generally built in association, and the number of eggs in each varying from 
five to eight. 
Little Grebes —This bird is distinguished from the other grebes by its 
smaller size, measuring only sixteen inches in length, and by the chestnut 
hue of its lower neck. It is found in northern Europe and Asia. The eggs 
of the grebe differ from those of the divers in the creamy white color of 
their shells and their green tinge. The usual number is three or four. When 
pursued these birds seldom take to the wing, but nearly always try to escape 
by diving. 
Crested Grebe —The largest member of the grebe family is the crested 
grebe, which measures from twenty-one to twenty-two inches in length. 
The grebe is a water bird, preferring fresh water to salt. The crested grebe is 
found in almost every part of the eastern hemisphere. In its summer plum¬ 
age it may be recognized by its chestnut-colored ear-coverts and white breast, 
while in winter it has a white stripe over the eye. The head is ornamented 
with colored ruffs, tufts or patches. 
Ivory Gull —Conspicuous on account of its uniform delicate white plum¬ 
age, faintly suffused with a rosy tint, in marked contrast to which stand out 
the jet black legs and greenish yellow beak, the lovely ivory-gull alone 
represents a distinct member of the gull family. An inhabitant of the Arctic 
seas, this gull wanders into temperate regions during the winter; its breed¬ 
ing-places being in Spitzbergen and other regions in the far north. In 
contrast to the snowy white of the full-grown, the young of the ivory-gull 
are spotted with black. 
Mallard Duck —This is the ancestor of the domestic duck. The mallard is 
