228 



British Birds. 



THE 



PIED-BILLED 



GREBE. 



{Podilytnbiis 



poduipL's.) 



The PiED-r,iLLED Grehe. 



This is a widely 

 distributed species 

 in North and South 

 America, and is 

 said to have been 

 captured on one 

 occasion near Weymouth, in Januar}', 

 iS8i. The Pied-billed Grebe has a 

 very thick bill, of a milk-white colour, 

 bluish at the tip, and crossed b}- a 

 black band. 



The Rails.— (^;v/,r Ralliformes. 



The members of this Order are remarkable for their long and slender toes. The 

 typical Rails have very slender bodies, and are inhabitants of the marshes. The 

 Coots and Moorhens are birds of a stouter build, and are more often seen in the 

 open water. All have black downy 

 nestlings, very different in appearance 

 from the old birds. 



Like all Kails, the 



present species is a 



bird of skulking and 



retiring habits and is 

 not often seen. It has a longer bill than 

 any of the other British species, and is of an 

 olive-brown colour with black streaks on 

 the head and back, while the throat and 

 under-parts are slat}'-grey, with black 

 flanks barred with white : the under tail- 

 coverts are also barred with black and 

 white, and have buff tips. Tin-. \\ater-R.\il. 



THE 



WATER-R.^IL. 



{Rnlliis ai]Hatit-ns.) 



