sharply outlined against the green background, the glossy black crown, the fiery red eyes, and the javelin-like beak. Who could help admiring such a picture of aquatic grace, such specialized mastery of its native element? Its delicately poised head was ever alert, its keen red eyes were watching every motion and, as I moved one step 'nearer, the graceful neck was arched, the javelin beak plunged downward, and the slim body followed in a curve below the surface, leaving scarcely any wake behind it. The water was clear and I was near enough to follow its course as it-sped away beneath the surface a long slender pointed craft, propelled by two powerful paddles and with wings tightly closed, The western grebe is certainly a water nymph of the first class, built for speed and action, the most highly specialized of all our diving birds.
Courtship.—The western grebes reach their breeding grounds in the inland lakes during May, early in the month in North Dakota, about May 8 to 12 in southern Canada, and before the end of the month farther north. I have never witnessed their nuptial performances, but Mr. William L. Finley has sent me the following notes on the subject:
The first action, which I have often noticed during the nesting season of the grebe, is when the two birds swim side by side. They throw the head and neck back which gives one the impression at a distance that the birds are preening their plumage. When I saw the action near at hand, I noticed that each, bird arched its neck continually, the bill turned straight down and the black crest spread. At the same time, both birds curved and swayed their necks back in a rythmical manner, touching them against their bodies. It was like a backward bow.
A second performance, the water glide of the grebe, was not as common as the antics just mentioned. However, it seemed to be a climax to the performance above. As the two birds swam side by side both suddenly stood upright as if walking on the top of the water and rushed along, splashing the surface for 20 or 30 feet, with wings tight to the body. Then they dropped to their breasts in a graceful glide that carried them along for about 15 feet farther.
The third performance might well be termed purely a wedding dance. I saw it three times within close range, and each time it was exactly the same. As two birds were swimming together, both dove. They rose to the top of the water a few moments later, each holding a piece of moss or weed in the bill. Instantly they faced each other and rose, treading water, with bodies half above the surface and necks stretched straight up. They treaded around, breast to breast, until they made three or four circles, and then dropped down to a normal attitude, at the same time flirting the moss out of their mouths and swimming off in an unconcerned manner.
The first two performances are typical mating or courting antics, while the last is the most significant wedding dance I have ever seen in bird life.
Nesting.—The Crane Lake colony, referred to above, was a typical large colony of the plains or prairie region. I visited this colony two years in succession and made several trips into the slough each
