460 BRITISH BIRDS. 



the basins of the Caspian and Bhick Seas. It dues not appear to breed 

 south of the valley of the Danube, nor west of the valley of the Rhine, 

 occurring only on migration or in winter beyond these limits. To the 

 basin of the Mediterranean it is a comparatively rare winter visitor, though 

 it is said that a few remain to breed in Algeria and Morocco. The eastern 

 form of tlie Red-necked Grebe breeds in the valley of the Amoor and 

 Kamtschatka, and winters in the Japanese seas. On the American con- 

 tinent its range extends across Behring Straits to Greenland^ breeding 

 throughout Alaska and British North America south of the Arctic circle. 

 It winters in the Northern United States, on the Pacific coast as far 

 soutli as Vancouver's Island, and on the Atlantic coast as far south as 

 New York, a few remaining to breed in the extreme northern United 

 States. The eastern form may be distinguished under the name of Podiceps 

 rubricollis holbceUi*; it averages an inch longer in length of wing and 

 half an inch in length of bill, the mean between the two races being seven 

 and a quarter inches in length of wing, and two inches in length of bill. 

 The Red-necked Grebe has no other very close ally. 



It is a very curious fact that the Red-necked Grebe should never remain 

 in this country to breed, and illustrates the remarkable force of habit 

 which seems to compel birds to return if possible to the place of their 

 birth in spring. In North Germany it is a very common bird, arriving 

 late in March or early in April, and leaving again in October. It is 

 almost exclusively an inhabitant of lakes and ponds, where sedge or reeds 

 abound. On small ponds solitary pairs are found, but on the larger lakes 

 great numbers breed together, though the nests are scattered up and down 

 amongst the reeds, and not clustered together in a colony. The nests 

 are sometimes placed in the recesses of the thick reed-beds, but quite 

 as often they can be seen at a considerable distance in localities where the 

 reeds are only half-grown and thinly sprinkled over the water. The 

 nest is always floating, so that it can rise or fall with the water, and is 

 considerably less than that of the Coot. It is somewhat carelessly made 

 of reeds and decayed water-plants, and near each nest is a sort of sham 

 nest, or foundation of a nest, merely a few reeds laid together, which is 



* The sjTaonymy of the eastern form is as follows : — 



Podiceps rubricollis major, Temm. ^- Schlci/. Faun. Japan. Aves, p. 122, pi. 78 b 



(1847, nee Bodcl). 

 Podiceps liolbcellii, llcinh, Vid. Meddel. p. 76 (1853). 

 Podiceps coopori, Lawr. BaircTs B. N. Amer. p. 893 (1858). 

 Podiceps aillnis, Salvad. Atti Soc. Ital. viii. p. 45 (l8n(3). 

 Podiceps griseigena, var. hcilbolli, Coucs,Iu'i/ N.-Amcr, B. p. 337 (1872). 

 Podiceps gri.seigena holbo^lli, Cottes, 2nd Clieck-List, no. 847 (1882). 

 Colyrabus holbojllii {licitih.), Baird, Brewer, ^ liidgway, Water-Bud.s i\^. Amer. ii. 

 p. 428 (1884). 



