LITTLE GREBE. 141 



In Scotland this small species is not considered to be so 

 plentiful as with us in the south, but, according to Mr. R. ' 

 Gray, it is resident and generally distributed throughout the 

 country, including both the Inner and the Outer Hebrides ; 

 breeding up to an elevation of 2,000 feet in the western 

 mountains, and even at a greater height in Inverness-shire. 

 It occurs in the Orkneys, and Saxby considers that in the 

 Shetlands, to which it is a winter visitant, it is probably 

 more common than it seems to be, owing to its retiring 

 habits. 



In the Fseroes it is of very rare occurrence, and it has not 

 been known to visit Iceland ; nor does its range in Norway 

 extend beyond 62° N. lat. It is rare or very local in Finland 

 and in the northern and central portions of Russia ; but 

 throughout the greater part of the rest of Europe it is 

 generally distributed in suitable localities, down to the 

 Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and the Caspian. It breeds 

 in North Africa, from Morocco to Egypt ; and also in Abys- 

 sinia at from 5,000 to 11,000 feet of elevation. In Asia 

 Minor and Palestine it is a resident ; it occurs in Persia ; 

 and throughout India it is of general distribution in winter, 

 breeding in abundance in Kashgar, Kashmir, and the 

 Northern Provinces, and probably in Ceylon. Subject to 

 slight variations, this species ranges eastwards to Japan and 

 China, and southwards to Burmah, through Malaysia, to 

 Australia, but not to New Zealand ; it is also found in 

 Madagascar ; and over a large portion of South Africa, 

 where it is resident. It does not occur in America. 



The adult bird in summer, represented in the illustration 

 by the one which is swimming, has the beak black, the tip 

 of a light horn-colour, the upper mandible straight, the 

 under mandible brought to a point by a line directed 

 obliquely upwards from the symphysis, or junction of the 

 two portions ; the soft part of both mandibles, forming the 

 angle at the gape, greenish-yellow ; irides reddish-brown ; 

 head, back of the neck, and all the upper surface of the 

 body, very dark brown, almost black ; the secondary quill- 

 feathers white, but these are not seen when the wings are 



