263 



LITTLE GREBE. 



PODICIPES FLUVIATILIS (Tuiistall). 



Local Names — Douker, Foot-in -arse. 



The Little Grebe is resident, and is still found breed- 

 ing on a few suitable pieces of water, whilst in winter 

 it is very generally distributed in small numbers. It 

 has nested on the Calder near Whalley, and Mr. H. 

 Miller tells me that, along with the Coot and Moor-hen, 

 it used to do so on the reservoirs attached to Messrs. 

 Steiner's printworks at Church, but that, about the year 

 1867, these were dug out too deep for vegetation, 

 and all the birds left. Near Walton-le-Dale Mr. J. B. 

 Hodgkinson thinks it may still breed, as it certainly- 

 used to, and Mr. R. J. Howard writes me that nests are 

 found every year near Eufford and Croston, as also in 

 Woodfold Park. From Chamber Hall, near Bury, 

 Mr. E. Davenport had eggs in 1876, and Mr. J. J. 

 Hornby has found several nests on Knowsley Great 

 Water, where it is probably a regular summer resident. 

 Mr. W. A. Durnford ("Birds of Walney," 1883) writes 

 that it is resident in the Furness district, but that per- 

 sonally he has only observed it on Windermere, and 

 that in winter. Here it has long been well known at 

 this season, and in Camden's " Britannia," translated 

 from the edition of 1607, and enlarged by Piichard 

 Gough, 2nd ed., 1806, vol. iii. p. 406, it is stated that 

 " waterfowl in great plenty resort to this lake, especially 

 in winter ; such as wild Swans, wild Geese, Ducks, 



