COLYMBID&. 529 
waters. On the south coast of Devon I have fre- 
quently seen it in the winter: it has also been 
taken in the neighbouring county of Wilts, as far 
inland as Salisbury, as there are several notices in 
the ‘ Zoologist’ of its capture in the river near that 
place. 
Whether this bird remains to breed in any part 
of Britain seems doubtful: it may, however, occa- 
sionally do so, as it has been seen in perfect summer 
plumage as late as the end of May.* The nest is 
said to be placed amongst grass and rushes, not 
attached to them, but floating on the water: it is 
made of reeds and other aquatic plants. 
This bird appears to feed upon fish, beetles, roots 
and other vegetable matter. As in that of the Great 
Crested Grebe, feathers are constantly found in the 
stomach of the present species. 
In full summer plumage this is a very handsome 
bird: it is considerably smaller than the last-men- 
tioned species, not exceeding a Common Guillemot 
in size. The bill is black, white horn at the tip. 
Yarrell says the irides are vermilion-red, and one 
note in the ‘ Zoologist’ agrees with this description,+ 
but two other notes of recently-killed specimens 
differ, one describing the iris as of two different 
colours—the inner rim white, the outer crimson, 
* Yarrell, vol. iii., p. 417. 
+ * Zoologist’ for 1864, p, 9048. 
22 
