A LIST OF THE BIRDS OF BERWICK-ON-TWEED 91 



WHITE-BILLED NORTHERN DIVER, Colymbus adamsi, G. R, Gray. 

 Has occurred upon the Northumberland coast, but not yet de- 

 tected here. Some of the Northern Divers which I have seen here 

 have, however, been very large birds ; but owing to their shyness 

 and astonishing powers of diving, opportunities seldom occur for 

 examination at close quarters, and this is a species which is very 

 likely to be overlooked. 



BLACK-THROATED DIVER, Colymbus arcticus, Linnaeus. A winter 

 visitant, rather uncommon ; but in the immature state, in which it 

 most frequently occurs, it is not always discriminated from the 

 " Speckled Diver " (the next species). 



A young bird in my collection was shot off the mouth of the 

 Tweed on 23rd October 1890, in which year several others were 

 noticed here, up to the loth December; and I have another, in 

 winter plumage, which I picked up upon the beach, near Holy 

 Island, on yth March 1893. On 4th April 1886 I saw one, in full 

 summer dress, diving about the rocks off Scremerston. 



RED-THROATED DIVER, Colymbus septentrionalis, Linnaeus. A 

 common winter visitant. A female in my collection, in full summer 

 plumage, was shot in the bay, on 23rd October 1890. I have seen 

 several others in this state, but they are always sufficiently rare to 

 attract attention. 



GREAT CRESTED GREBE, Podidpes cristatus (Linnaeus). A winter 

 visitor, which of late years has been noticed pretty regularly about 

 the mouth of the river, and along the coast. It does not usually 

 appear before October, but in 1889, I saw one here on 313! August. 

 In spring it frequently remains until March. I saw one on i3th of 

 that month, 1891, off the rocks at Lamberton ; and on 3oth May 

 1 88 1, one was observed in the Tweed, near the Old Bridge. Many 

 others might be mentioned. The birds which occur here are mostly 

 immature, but I have seen several adults. It is sometimes met with 

 a considerable distance inland, in the Tweed, as well as in some of 

 our lakes, and ponds. 



RED-NECKED GREBE, Podidpes grisdgena (Boddaert). Another 

 winter visitant, not so frequent as the last, and generally appearing 

 only in stormy weather, and not until late in the winter. In 1891, 

 it was unusually numerous, many specimens occurring between T 6th 

 January, and 2 2nd March, in company with kindred species. Two 

 were killed on Spittal beach, in February 1895, and others seen 

 during this and the following month ; and, were it necessary, many 

 other instances might be given. 



The plumage of the breast and under parts is often so much 

 flecked with brown as to present quite a dark appearance, especially 

 when viewed from the side; and the head and neck frequently 

 retain traces of the stripes of immaturity, even in birds which are 



