RED-NECKED GEEBE. 247 



This species has been met with on the broads in 

 full nuptial dress, but it has never been proved to 

 breed in Norfolk. The Rev. T. J. Blofeld saw three on 

 Hoveton Broad, on the 14tli April, 1845 ; and a very 

 beautiful specimen in full breeding plumage, in Mr. 

 Gurnej's collection, was shot at Yarmouth, about the 

 2nd of April, 1848 ; another at Scottow, on the 22nd 

 of the same month; and Mr. Gunn had a male in 

 perfect plumage, which was shot in this county about 

 the 20th May, 1889. 



Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., tells me that he saw a very 

 young bird, belonging to Mr. Haycock, of Cley, which 

 was shot on August 10th, 1886, on a little broad inside 

 the sea wall, at Salthouse. In this example the black 

 stripes on the throat were very strongly marked, and 

 the bird was not full grown. Mr. Booth shot a red- 

 necked grebe on Breydon, in August, 1875 (" Catalogue 

 of Birds," p. 217). Mr. Gunn records a female killed 

 on the 30th September, 1871, at Winterton, and a 

 second a few days after at Beeston, both birds with red 

 necks. An adult, in nearly full summer dress, was 

 killed on Breydon, on 30th October, 1873 ("Trans. 

 Norfolk and Norwich Nat. Soc," ii., p. 213). In fact, 

 this species has been met with in Norfolk in every stage, 

 from the immature plumage just mentioned to the most 

 perfect nuptial dress. 



Hunt states, in his list of '^Norfolk Birds," that a 

 pair of red-necked grebes were once killed near the 

 Foundry Bridge in this city. One of Mr. Dowell's notes 

 says that Overton, an experienced and very observant 

 professional gunner, at Blakeney, told him that he has 

 repeatedly met this species, with which he was well 

 acquainted, as far at sea as the Dudgeon light. 



In the stomach of one of these birds, dissected by Mr. 

 Stevenson, he found a large number of long bones, which 

 he took to be those of the frog, and the wing cases of 

 Notoneda, but in this instance no feathers were present. 

 Mr. Gunn describes the iris of the young bird of this 

 species as a pale straw colour, and that of the adult as 

 white. Mr. Booth states that in a freshly killed adult 

 in summer plumage " the iris was perfectly colourless, 

 a pearly white with lines like crystal radiating from the 



