224 



GREBES AND DIVERS 



recof^niscd b\' the structure of the foot, in which the tliree front-toes arc 

 furnished with broad lateral lobes of membrane : unlike those of the 

 coots and phalaropes, these lobes are, however, united at the bases 

 and are not contracted at the joints of the toes. The outermost of 

 the three front-toes is the longest, and the hind-toe, which has small 

 lateral folds, is raised above the level of the others ; the claws are 

 flattened, so as to resemble nails. Another ver}' characteristic feature 

 of the i^roup is to be found in the rudimentar\- condition or absence of 

 the tail ; and there are twelve primary quills in the wing. 



In the skeleton it may be noticed that the lower jaw is not pro- 

 duced backwards behind its articulation with the skull. As regards 

 o-eneral habits, it may be mentioned that all these birds are essentially 

 aquatic and, in summer at least, frequent frcshwaters, although in 

 winter they may resort to the coast. Their nests are floating masses 

 of herbage generally placed among reeds ; and their eggs are pale blue 

 in colour, overlain by a white chalky coat, which becomes more or less 

 completely worn off during the process of incubation. Unlike most 

 birds, grebes do not swallow stones for the purpose of grinding their 

 food as it passes through the gizzard ; on the other hand, the)- have 

 the remarkable habit of eating their own feathers, which when swallowed 

 are supposed to perform the function discharged in other birds by the 

 gizzard-stones. 



Although by some authorities the British representatives of the 

 group are distributed under five distinct generic heads, we may follow 

 the older course of including the whole of them in the original genus 

 Podicipcs, of which, as already stated, the little grebe, or dabchick, is 

 the type. In this extended sense the genus Podicipcs will be character- 

 ised by the compressed and sharply pointed beak, with the oblong 

 nostrils placed near its base ; the short wings ; the rudimentary tail, 

 compo.sed of short downy feathers ; and the highly compressed shank 

 of the leg, which is covered with large shield-like horny plates in front 

 and .serrated behind. As all who have seen a dabchick (and who has 

 not ?) are aware, the grebes are expert divers and excellent swimmers, 

 and always endeavour to escape pursuit by resorting to the former 

 method of progression, coming up to the surface after .some distance, 

 and then disappearing again, and repeating the manoeuvre until they 

 reach the .shelter of reeds or other water-plants. On land, to which 

 they resort but seldom, they are, however, poor performers, walking 

 badly with an ungainly movement. The shortness of their wings causes 

 them to rise from the water with a certain amount of difficult)- ; but 

 once under way they fly, for the most part, with considerable strength 



