(-\ 996° \) 
are more prominently lobed in Grebes. From a distance, these birds, 
look as though the soft leathery like substance from off surface of 
the marsh was adhering to their feet, and consequently the birds 
were hampered in their progress on the ground ; once in the water 
or flying high up in the air, Grebes appear quite at home and enjoy 
all the advantages Nature has endowed them with. Like most 
Water-birds their plumage is soft and dense, having a silky appear- 
ance and texture, these latter advantages the Grebe, surely would 
like to have dispensed with, owing to the troublesome anxiety 
human beings display, to rob it of its skin, and nether garments, 
to help to keep out the wintery blast off some fair necked beauty ; 
bill, of these birds, is straight, compressed and strong ; wings short, 
having a concave appearance ; tarsus moderate ; hallux and feet 
webbed (lobed) ; tail undeveloped, merely an apology. 
Genus Popiceps. This typical and well marked group of 
Divers, have about two representatives in India. The first is found 
in Sub-Himalayan districts and other parts of the plains, whilst 
Little Grebe has a larger geographical distribution, being found in 
most places. These birds differ in many respects from the families, 
we have already gone over, not a little perhaps in the tail, which is 
nearly conspicuous by its absence. Then, they introduce us to some 
of the most expert divers we have in the district, or approaches 
to the Himalayas. 
(975) Popicers Puitipperensis, Little Grebe. I met this dab- 
chick, as far up as Sandakphu, it had evidently rested there after a 
visit to some of the marshy pokres lower down the hill, Kalipokri 
may have been its morning resort ; or the long marshy dried up pond 
at Tongloo ; or the more alluring expanse of water at Shumpu ; 
or some of the collected waters, from the melting snows off Kinchin- 
jinga, where most probably it had met old friends from the plains 
of Bengal. In the cold weather they congregate in big numbers in 
most of the lakes, and jhils in the plains, and feed a good deal on 
fish and water insects. This Grebe is about 9 inches in length ; 
colour aboye, is glossy dark brown, tinged green; cheeks and sides 
of the neck bright chesnut ; under-parts white ; head, hind neck and 
back are black with a tinge of green; quills pale brown ; breast 
brown and white ; chin and part of the lower mandibles glossy 
black ; sides of the body, beneath, fulvous; under-parts are silky 
white. These birds grow plump, and accumulate large quantities 
of fat, which make the skin and plumage, impervious to water and 
adds considerably to the warmth of the feathers. 
We shall now pass over a number of birds—Diving Petrels, 
