GREBES 
The western grebe, an expert diver, makes a floating nest of grass, twigs and 
rushes. Like a raft with a slight depression in the center, it lies among the 
reeds by the river bank. Here four or five creamy white eggs are laid, about 
two and one half inches long. When an enemy approaches, the grebe rapidly 
covers its eggs with vegetation. 
In addition to their diving ability, grebes have a strange gift of regu¬ 
lating their degree of immersion when floating on the water. When they 
feel safe, their long graceful necks rise far out of the water, but sensing 
danger, they submerge leaving only the tips of their needle-like bills 
above the surface. Or else they may dive like a flash, to reappear a full 
minute later far out of shot-gun range. They never take to wing when 
pursued, although they can fly well. 
The diving bird’s slender head, long neck and spear-like bill adapt 
it for fish catching; in addition to fishes, it eats frogs, insects, seeds and the 
shoots of aquatic plants. 
Though grebes spend most of their time in the water, they fly rapidly 
and can make long journeys; their only difficulty is the take-off, which is 
accompanied by much kicking and splattering. In flight their legs are car¬ 
ried well behind, perhaps serving as rudders in the absence of a well- 
developed tail. 
The rearward situation of the diving bird’s feet makes walking ex¬ 
tremely difficult, so on land it merely rests on its breast or stands upright. 
Outstanding members of the grebe family include the fresh-water 
dabchick of the Old World. To protect its young from danger this small 
bird tucks them under its wings and dives under water. During the breeding 
season the male of the great crested grebe is highly ornamented with long 
tufts and crests of beautiful, silky plumage. For years it has been hunted 
down, and its wild cry of alarm, kek-kek, is well known to feather seekers. 
The pied-billed grebe is an exclusively American form, and is among the 
commonest species. Grebes are only mildly gregarious and are seldom seen 
in large flocks. 
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