LITTLE GREBE. 
447 
and, notwithstanding this precaution, Montague tells us, 
that they are frequently destroyed by the water-rat. The 
time of breeding of the Little Grebe is later than that of 
the great-crested, being about the middle of May. 
I cannot refrain from transferring to my pages the 
following interesting remarks, as to the habits of this 
species, from Mr. St. John's “Wild Sports of the High¬ 
lands’':— 
“ In a small rushy pool in Invernessliire I had frequent 
opportunities of observing their domestic economy, and 
the manner in which they build their nests and rear 
their }'oung. Though there was no stream connecting 
this pool with any other larger piece of water, a pair, 
and only a pair, of these Little Grebes came to it every 
spring. After two or three days spent in recruiting their 
strength and making love to each other, the little birds 
set about making their nest in a tuft of rushes at a shal¬ 
low part of the water, a few yards from the shore. They 
first collected a considerable quantity of dead rushes, 
which they found in plenty, floating about the edges 
of the water; both male and female were busily em¬ 
ployed in building, swimming to and fro with the great¬ 
est activity. After laying a good foundation of this 
material, they commenced diving for the weeds which 
grow at the bottom of the water; bringing up small 
bunches of them, and clambering up the sides of their 
nest (the bottom of which was in the water), they made 
a layer of this, hollowed out in the middle. They 
worked only in the morning and very late in the even¬ 
ing. Their eggs were six in number, and when first 
laid, quite white, and nearly oval. During the time of 
sitting, whenever the old bird left her nest, she covered 
her eggs most carefully. The singular part of this pro¬ 
ceeding was, that she always dived for a quantity of 
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