314. THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



have the cheeks clouded. In mature birds the bill is blue- 

 black, yellowish at the tip, red at the gape, and with a pink 

 streak from bill to eye. In winter and immature dress it is 

 bluish grey, with the base and tip yellow. The legs are greyish 

 blue, the toes edged with yellow, and are greener in summer. 

 The irides are reddish orange in mature birds, and there is a 

 fine white circle round the pupil ; they are pinker in young 

 birds, and perhaps in winter. Length, I3'5 ins. Wing, 5-5 ins. 

 Tarsus, 175 ins. 



Black-necked Grebe. Podiceps nigricolUs Brehm. 



The Black-necked or Eared Grebe (Plate 137) nests in 

 central and southern Europe, in Asia and Africa, and is 

 partially migratory. In the British Isles it is a winter visitor 

 and regular passage migrant or summer visitor, for it is 

 struggling to establish itself. It is more a fresh than salt 

 water species and appears with some degree of regularity on 

 certain western waters, which it may eventually colonise. The 

 earlier history of its British nesting is obscure ; the best 

 evidence is from Norfolk, and there is reason to believe that it 

 has nested in Oxford, Perth, and Ireland. How long the Welsh 

 colony had existed before it was discovered in 1904 by Messrs. 

 Cummings and Oldham is unknown, but when a few days later 

 I was able to join them we found that several pairs were 

 nesting, and already had young. For obvious reasons we 

 kept the locality secret, only showing it to Mr. O. V. Aplin, 

 Prof. Newstead, and one or two others ; some years later it 

 was discovered. In 1918 at least two pairs established them- 

 selves and brought off young on the reservoirs near Tring, 

 where it is hoped they will be protected, though attempts have 

 been made to rob the nests. 



The Eared Grebe is slightly smaller than the Slavonian, and 

 when swimming is, like a Dabchick, very broad in the stern. 



