. Bird lore . nters sleep. A more scientific diagnosis mighthave explained these yawns as physical rather than emotional; but, to myeye untrained in Podicipian infirmities, they expressed only weariness andacute ennui. I next uncovered the eggs and young, thinking that the old bird mightsee fit to get upon the nest and cover them. I was disappointed, however, for,as she approached, she changed her alarm {keck) note to the call-note {cup),and the first-hatched was strong enough and obedient enough to scramblefrom the nest. The old bird swam up to meet it, backed up, lifting her wings,and a mome
. Bird lore . nters sleep. A more scientific diagnosis mighthave explained these yawns as physical rather than emotional; but, to myeye untrained in Podicipian infirmities, they expressed only weariness andacute ennui. I next uncovered the eggs and young, thinking that the old bird mightsee fit to get upon the nest and cover them. I was disappointed, however, for,as she approached, she changed her alarm {keck) note to the call-note {cup),and the first-hatched was strong enough and obedient enough to scramblefrom the nest. The old bird swam up to meet it, backed up, lifting her wings,and a moment later started off with her youngster upon her back, leaving meto spend the rest of the day awaiting her return, communing with muskratsand dragon-flies and the omnipresent mosquitos. Sixteen days passed before my next visit to the pond, when, of course, allthe eggs had hatched and the young had left the vicinity. One hundred yardsdown the pond and quite in the open at the outer edge of the rushes, I flushed. CLIMBINGU,ABOARD At Home with a Hell-Diver 253 the old bird and several young from a new nest that had evidently been con-structed as a sort of roosting- or resting-place. The down of the young is evi-dently not as impervious to water as are the feathers of the adults, and it isnecessary for them to emerge from the water occasionally to dry off. Whetherthe original nest would have been used for this purpose if it had not been dis-turbed, cannot be said; but I am inclined to believe that these roost-nestsare frequently constructed, as several more were found in other parts of thepond, probably built by other Grebes. In construction they were similar tothe regular nests, except that the hollow, never having been filled with debriswas always better formed. The young at this time, although but sixteen daysold, showed remarkable growth; but I was forced to cease my observationsat this point.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectorn
