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Members Sir Peter Grebe, Great Britain; Baron de Becasse, France; his Royal Highness King Christian, of Finland; the Countess d'Alzette, of Belgium; and I, from the United States, representing the Smithsonian Institution and the Bronx Park Zoological Society of New York.
Beneath them the ducks gobbled, splashed, and chattered; grebe and coot voices could be distinguished; king rails at times flashed into sight and out again; marsh wrens scolded and chattered; occasionally a kingfisher darted around the lake shore, rolling his rattling cry and flashing his azure coat and gleaming white collar.
Sir John Grebe, if the truth must be told, loved his daughter's happiness far more, poor man, than he loved his name and lineage; he recalled to his mind all her little ways, gave vent to a sigh; and, by this time acclimatized to the idea of the marriage, said that what was done could not be undone, and that he supposed they must not be too harsh with her.
In Bronx Park in New York a grebe and a loon lived together in an inclosure in which was a large pool of water. The two birds became much attached to each other and were never long separated.
"Is it one of Æsop's?" asked Dick, who thought that it would look grand for him to have heard of Æsop's fables. "No, it isn't," said the Sage, rather crossly; "it's one of my own! Now then, are you ready? I call it " "A Crested Grebe, a Spoonbill, and a Goose, I beg to say, Met one fine day, And compliments were passed the most profuse.
Visiting the marshes Pajonales and Juncales Abundant bird life A Coots' metropolis Frightening the Coots Grebe and Painted Snipe colonies The haunt of the Social Marsh Hawk The beautiful Jacana and its eggs The colony of Marsh Trupials The bird's music The aquatic plant Durasmillo The Trupial's nest and eggs Recalling a beauty that has vanished Our games with gaucho boys I am injured by a bad boy The shepherd's advice Getting my revenge in a treacherous manner Was it right or wrong?
How strange it is that a bird, under the form of woodpecker, should have been created to prey on insects on the ground; that upland geese, which never or rarely swim, should have been created with webbed feet; that a thrush should have been created to dive and feed on sub-aquatic insects; and that a petrel should have been created with habits and structure fitting it for the life of an auk or grebe! and so on in endless other cases.
Among the growth of the lake shore, duck, coot, and grebe voices commingled in the last chattering hastened splash of securing supper before bedtime; crying killdeers crossed the water, and overhead the nighthawks massed in circling companies. Betsy climbed the hill and at every step the Girl cried, "Slower! please go slower!" With wide eyes she stared around her.
The student who takes up the subject of nest architecture will soon be impressed not only with the wide assortment of materials used, but also with the wonderful variety of situations chosen. The Grebe, or "Water Witch," builds one of the most remarkable nests of any American bird.
One which I obtained had slight traces of the red about the throat remaining, otherwise this one was like the others which I saw in complete winter plumage. The Red-necked Grebe is included in Professor Ansted's list, but only marked as occurring in Guernsey. There is one specimen in the Museum. GREAT-CRESTED GREBE. Podiceps cristatus, Linnaeus. French. "Grèbe huppé."
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