THE BIRDS OF DEVONSHIRE. 177 



Mr. D' Urban states that the Great Crested Grebe 

 "is not eommoii on the Exe, but has been obtained 

 in various stages of plumage " (Zool. 1877. p. 105). 

 The late Mr. Stevenson has left a pleasing sketch 

 of the habits of the Great Crested Grebe, as studied 

 on the Devonshire coast in March, 1859. '' I was 

 somewhat surprised," he writes, "to find these 

 birds not only in the tranquil waters of the bay at 

 Torquay, but also out at sea, off the coast, at 

 Teignmouth . . . On one occasion I saw a party 

 of three, apparently an adult pair and a young 

 bird, having no perceptible crest. The old male 

 was a most splendid specimen with about the finest 

 crest I ever saw, and as I watched him through the 

 glass, between the intervals of diving, the silky 

 whiteness of his neck and breast contrasting with the 

 rich chestnut fringe, glistened in the sun as he rose 

 and fell on the rippling waves. I afterwards saw 

 single birds, even in rough weather, diving into the 

 large billows, or floating lightly over otliers, as much 

 at home on the ' troubled sea ' as the Guillemots or 

 Razorbills" (Zool. 1860. p. 6797). 



RED-NECKED GREBE.— Po^/frZ/^^s grl^cincna (Bodd). 



A WINTER and spring visitant, of comparatively 

 rare occurrence on our Devonshire estuaries. Mr. 

 Gatcombe, when recording a specimen killed near 

 Plymouth in October, 1861, writes; *' Of late years 

 this species has become very rare." He met with 



