272 PODICEPS AURITUS. 



^, its claw -^ ; second toe H, its claw -^ ', third toe 1^, 

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



Female. — The female resembles the male, but is some- 

 what less. 



Habits. — Little can be said of the habits of this species 

 as distinguished from those of the preceding. It is said to 

 be abundant in the northern parts of Europe, to occur also 

 in America, and to be less addicted to betake itself to the sea 

 tlian the larger species, its principal food being aquatic 

 insects, small fishes, and seeds. During snow, however, it is 

 occasionally met with in our estuaries and along the coasts, 

 and in winter is not very rare in many parts of England, 

 although I have not seen many that were obtained in Scot- 

 land. Montagu states that it inhabits the fens of Lincoln- 

 shire, where it breeds, making a floating nest, and laying 

 four or five white eggs. 



Young. — In their first winter the young have very slight 

 occipital tufts, but no elongated feathers behind the eyes. 

 The upper part of the head is blackish-brown, darker behind, 

 shaded laterally into greyish-brown, which extends a little 

 below the eyes, covering part of the cheeks ; the rest of 

 which and the throat are greyish-white. The hind part of 

 the neck is dusky brown, its fore part for about two inches 

 brownish-grey ; the rest of the lower parts silvery-white ; 

 but the sides of the neck and body clouded with blackish- 

 grey. The upper parts of the body are brownish-black ; the 

 wings more brown, and with the same white markings as in 

 the adult. The young in this state is easily distinguished 

 from that of Podiccps cornutus by its recurved bill. 



Remarks. — If slight differences in the form and com- 

 parative length of the bill were sufficient to constitute genera, 

 as they are assumed to be in very many cases, the four 

 Grebes here described ought to belong to as many distinct 

 genera, for no two of them agree j)recisely in the form of the 

 bill, and yet all are most intimately allied in form, colours, 



