RED-NECKED GREBE. 261 



on the head and neck very soft ; the occiput with a flattened 

 crest, forming tAvo tufts, and the feathers on the cheek and 

 throat elongated behind into a sUght ruff. The wings are 

 small, narrow, acute, concave, with eleven primaries, twenty- 

 four secondaries, and ten humerals ; the first and second quills 

 are about equal, and have the inner web cut out toward the 

 end, the second and third on the outer. The tail extremely 

 diminutive, rounded, being a tuft of downy feathers an inch 

 and a quarter in length. 



The bill is black, paler at the end, and light yellow at the 

 base, the ridge excepted. The eyes are carmine. The feet 

 greenish-black externally, yellow internally, with the margins 

 of the lobes dusky ; the claws dusky, edged with paler. The 

 upper part of the head is greyish-black ; the cheeks and throat 

 ash-grey, the ruff edged above with white. The fore part 

 and sides of the neck are rich brownish-red ; the lower parts 

 silvery- white, the sides streaked with dusky. The upper 

 parts are greyish-black, with the edges of the feathers lighter. 

 The outer secondaries, to the number of about twelve, are 

 white, the rest and the humerals dusky. The anterior edge 

 of the wing is narrowly marked with white ; but the feathers 

 on the humerals are not of that colour, as in the Crested 

 Grebe. 



Length to end of tail 18 inches ; extent of wings 30 ; 

 wing from flexure 7 ; tail 1|- ; bill along the ridge l^V, along 

 the edge of lower mandible 2-^ ; tarsus 2-pV 5 liind toe ^, 

 its claw yV ; second toe 2, its claw -^ ; third toe 2^, its 

 claw -^2- ; fourth toe 2^, its claw -j^. 



Female. — The female is similar to the male, but smaller. 



Habits. — This species is said by various authors to be 

 common in the eastern provinces of Europe, but of compara- 

 tively rare occurrence in the western. It does not appear 

 that it has been found breeding in any part of Britain, 

 although in winter it is not more rare with us than the 

 Crested Grebe, being occasionally found along the coasts, and 

 in estuaries, as well as sometimes in fresh water. I have 

 procured it, as well as all our other species, from the Firth of 



