PODICIPEDID.^. 



THE GREAT CRESTED GREBE. 

 PoDiciPES CRISTATUS (Linnffius). 



The Great Crested Grebe is more or less resident in England and 

 Wales on extensive sheets of water partially overgrown with reeds ; 

 such as the ' broads ' of Norfolk, the meres of Yorkshire, Shrop- 

 shire, Cheshire and Lancashire, Llangorse Lake in Breconshire, the 

 reservoirs of Notts, Leicestershire, Northants, Bedfordshire, and 

 Tring in Hertfordshire, Virginia Water in Surrey, and many similar 

 localities ; in fact, its increase during the last decade has been 

 remarkable. In Scotland, it is now known to breed on at least eight 

 lochs, as far north as Perthshire and probably Aberdeenshire ; while 

 it has occurred in the Orkneys, though there are few satisfactory 

 records from the Hebrides. In Ireland it nests on many of the fresh 

 waters, especially in the district round Lough Neagh ; while in winter 

 it may be met with on many parts of the British coasts. In Norfolk 

 it is generally called a " Loon," in Lincolnshire it was formerly known 

 as a "Gaunt," and in thenorth-east of Ireland its name is "Mulrooken." 



This species is only a straggler to the Faeroes, and an accidental 

 visitor to Norway ; but it breeds in Southern Sweden, Denmark, and 

 on both sides of the Baltic ; becoming exceedingly abundant in some 

 parts of Russia, Poland, Germany and Hungary. Southward it nests 

 in suitable localities down to the Mediterranean, as well as in North 

 Africa, Palestine, Northern India, Central Asia and China, visiting 

 South Japan ; while it is also resident in South Africa, some parts of 

 Australia, and in New Zealand. There is no authenticated record 

 for any part of America (Ridgway). 



