SIX MONTHS BIRD COLLECTING IN EGYPT. 243 



■^219. Eared Grebe, Podiccps nigricoUis, Sundev. 



Von Heuglin seems not only to have found this in winter 

 (Shelley's "Birds of Egypt," p. 313), but also breeding. I 

 have not Petermann's " Geographische Mittheilungen," but 

 the reviewer in the "Ibis" (of his list at p. 311 of part 

 VIII.) says, he found it breeding at the lake of Tamieh in 

 Faguin (Ibis, 1862, p. 81, of, p. 195). I do not know where 

 these places are, but I saw a Grebe on Menzaleh which 

 appeared, from its size to be this species, on two occasions, 

 first from the shore, and afterwards from a boat. 



220.* Little Grebe, Podiccps minoy (Linn.) ; 

 " Zah-ut." 



Three times I came across them in the Delta on inland 

 waters, and once in the Faioum on the same pond with the 

 Great-crested Grebes, but they are equally quick with them 

 in diving; and unless you get a shot when they are not 

 looicing at you, you have not much chance. The 17th of 

 January was my earliest date. The pair at the Faioum, 

 which were in full summer plumage, were observed on the 

 8th of June, so we are justified in concluding that it is 

 resident in the country. f 



* The Lesser Kestrel, Sand-coloured Dove, and Coot, were omitted 

 by error in the numbering, which makes the total 223. 



t A marshman, named Rich, informs me that about 1S60, in the 

 depth of a hard winter, some two hundred Dabchicks made their ap- 

 pearance at Surlingham Broad, Norfolk, which was frozen over. The 

 following Sunday, idle fellows from Norwich attacked them on the ice 

 and drove them into the dykes, and before the expiration of a week 

 they were nearly all killed. 



A somewhat similar visitation took place at Worthing in November, 

 1868 (Zool. ss. 1482). 



