In the Neighbourhood of Salisbury. 



193 



upwards, while that of the Sclavonian turns slightly downwards. 

 Hart has three hirds of this kind in perfect summer plumage; two 

 of them having heen obtained in the spring of 1853. Another was 

 also shot by Mr. T. M. Pike during last year. 1 have never come 

 across it in this parish. 



Tachybaptes Fluviatilis. "The Little Grebe," known familiarly 



by the name of Dabchick. This bird is plentiful in our meadows, 



and I expect does some considerable amount of mischief in the amount 



of spawn and small fry it consumes. One winter day I counted 



no less than twenty-six of them that had all congregated together 



in a flock. They are sharp active little birds ; but I have often 



caught them alive in my hands, as they are very reluctant to take 



wing, and when forced to do so merely skim along the surface, 



leaving a long trail behind them in the water. On one occasion a 



Short-horned Owl was caught alive in some rushes by the old 



"drowner,'^ in the act of devouring a Dabchick, which he had 



partially eaten. It is curious how the Owl could have got hold of 



it, but he must have pounced upon it unexpectedly as it rose close 



to the rushes where he was in hiding. Wishing to secure one in 



summer plumage I asked the old "drowner" in our meadows to look 



out for one for me — and this he very soon did, fishing one out from 



under the water between the spikes of his eel-stitcher, as it was 



diving under the surface. Even these little birds have far greater 



powers of flight than one would naturally have given them credit 



for; and Hart tells me that one evening during flight-time he 



killed two birds flying high over his head at a great pace, which 



turned out to be a pair of our little friends. 



Colymbus Glacialis. " The Great Northern Diver." "We come 

 now to the family of the true Divers, which well deserve their 

 name, as they will stay under water after their prey for two or three 

 minutes, or even more — a much longer time than you imagine, 

 when you duly time it with your watch. These magnificent birds 

 are more or less frequent all round our coasts, but you do not 

 commonly find them so far south as we are, in the perfect summer 

 plumage of the adult bird. They are generally seen near the shore, 

 as they do not seek their prey in very deep waters. I have observed 



