THE CRESTED GREBE 



319 



Order Pygopodes. 



Bill long and straight. Tail very short. Legs flattened, set 

 far back. 



Genus Podicipes. 



Wings short and pointed. Toes long, margined on the sides 

 and united at the base to the middle toe ; hind toe strong and 

 strongly Icbed. All parts of the world. 



Crested Grebe. 



The Crested Grebe. — Kaha. 



Podicipes cristatus. 



Above brown, below white; top of the head bhick, with a double crest. 

 Chin white; ruff on the neck rufous, tipped with black. Shoulders and a 

 band on the wings Avhite. Eye crimson. Length of the wing, 7.75 in. ; of 

 the tarsus, 2.6 in. The neck and breast are occasionally tinted with rvifous 

 brown. Egg — At first greenish white, then yellow brown; length, 2.35 in. 

 Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia. 



Formerly this bird was often seen on the larger lakes of the 

 South Island, but the tourist traffic has disturbed it. It still 

 haunts these smaller and less frequented lakes, and occasionally 

 makes an excursion into inhabited districts. In Europe it is 

 migratory, but it does not appear to be so in New Zealand. It 

 is an excellent diver, and feeds chiefly on aciuatic insects. 



