CEYLON WATER BIRDS. 345 
Order PYGOPODES. 
Family PopiciPEDID 2. 
Genus Podiceps. 
The Grebes. 
The Grebes belong to an order represented in the Indian 
area by a single genus, of which only one species is found in 
Ceylon. 
The bill is fairly short, straight, and pointed. The legs are 
placed very far back ; the small hind toe is placed alove the 
level of the others and is lobed ; the front toes are furnished 
each with a separate broad fringe of web, the fringes uniting 
only at the base of the toes. Grebes are expert swimmers and 
divers, but bad walkers, and seldom leave the water. Their 
wings are short and pointed, and their flight is usually an 
agitated scurry along the top of the water ; but once they have 
mounted, they have powers of flying which enable them to 
travel long distances. The tail is practically wanting. The 
nest is composed of floating water weed or other herbage ; the 
eggs are white; the young when hatched are covered with 
down, and are able to swim at once. 
PODICEPS ALBIPENNIS (Blanford, Vol. IV., p. 476). 
Popicurs FLUVIATILIS (Legge, p. 1059). 
The Indian Little Grebe, or Dabchick. 
Description-—In breeding plumage the chin, the lores, the 
front of the cheeks, the forehead, crown, and hind neck are 
blackish-brown ; the side of the head up to the eye, the 
throat, and fore-neck are chestnut; upper parts dull dark 
brown ; the wings paler, the primaries being white at the base 
and the secondaries almost wholly white. The abdomen is 
silky white, which colour mingles gradually on the breast, 
flanks, and vent with the brown of the upper parts. 
