SLAVONIAN GREBE. 313 



in winter it is seldom numerous. Late in March some are in 

 winter dress, though early in the month others have attained 

 nuptial plumes ; individual variation is remarkable, but 

 probably Audubon was correct that old birds attain the 

 summer dress sooner than the young. In winter mature birds 

 have very white cheeks. 



On inland waters, at any rate, the Slavonian Grebe readily 

 takes wing, and when flying the neck does not always incline 

 downward like that of the Great Crested ; the wing bar — the 

 inner secondaries are white — is broad and conspicuous on the 

 open wing, but seldom shows as more than a small white line 

 when the bird is swimming. It is a quick, expert diver, never 

 long below the surface, and. feeds on fish, crustaceans, molluscs, 

 insects, and weeds. The smartness of its dives is signified by 

 its American name, also given to other grebes, of " Hell- 

 Diver." One bird I watched dived superficially ; its progress 

 was shown by a ripple on the water. The nest is a mass of 

 decomposing weed, floating in aquatic vegetation or built from 

 the bottom in shallow water. Four eggs, laid in June, are 

 usual ; they are greenish white, averaging 17 by 1*2 inches 

 (Tourdain), and are soon stained with vegetable juice. The 

 young are striped brown and white, especially on the head 

 and neck, and have a bare red patch. The statement, also 

 made about the Dabchick, that the old bird dives for safety 

 with the young under the wing is perfiaps correct, though 

 misleading ; the young are carried on the back, and, when the 

 parent dives, may be held there for a time under the secondaries 

 or scapulars, but they soon come up to the surface like corks. 



Except for the horns, the head, frill, and upper neck are 

 glossy black in summer ; the rest of the upper parts are 

 browner ; the lower neck, breast, and flanks are rich rufous 

 brown and the abdomen silvery white. The head and neck 

 decoration is lost in winter ; the under parts are v/hite, but often 

 show dusky mottles on the breast and flanks. Immature birds 



