BIRDS 



old bird brought to him alive in March, 1869 

 (Ipswich Museum). About 20 November, 

 1893, the Suffolk coast was visited by a 

 terrific north-easterly gale, and many storm 

 driven sea-birds were picked up, among them 

 an adult puffin within the bounds of Bury. 

 It was found alive and unhurt by some boys, 

 who took it to Mr. Travis, who kept it alive ; 

 but it refused the fish provided for it, and 

 died at the end of a week. 



268. Great Northern Diver. Colymbus gla~ 



cialis, Linn. 



This fine bird is a winter visitant from the 

 north, and is usually only met with on the 

 coast in hard weather. All those obtained 

 have been in immature plumage. 



269. White-billed Northern Diver. Colymbus 



adamsi, G. R. Gray. 



This rare arctic species, which is even 

 larger than the great northern diver, has only 

 recently been added to the British list. The 

 first British specimen was shot at Pakefield in 

 the early spring of 1852 (Saunders' Manual, 

 p. 711) and is in Mr. Gurney's collection. 



270. Black-throated Diver. Colymbus glacia- 



lis, Linn. 

 A rare winter visitant, but one which might 

 easily be overlooked in the plain grey and 

 white plumage in which it usually occurs in 

 England. Mr. Gurney has a Lowestoft 

 specimen in nearly full breeding plumage 

 {Birds of Norfolk, iii. 270). 



271. Red-throated Diver. Colymbus septen- 



trionalis, Linn. 

 Locally, Sprat-Loon. 

 This bird is much the most common of the 

 divers, and may be called a regular winter 

 migrant. Specimens are sometimes obtained 

 in autumn in almost perfect summer dress, 

 with the chestnut-red patch on the throat 

 from which the name is derived. None of 

 the divers breed in England, but the black- 

 throated and red-throated breed in fair num- 

 bers in the north of Scotland and on the 

 adjacent islands. 



272. Great Crested Grebe. Podicipes crista- 



tus (Linn.) 

 This splendid bird is a resident breeding in 

 fair numbers on Fritton Lake, where it is 

 carefully protected (Col. Leathes). In west 

 Suffolk it breeds on Ampton Water, and used 

 to do so on Bartonmere when there was suffi- 

 cient water. The pike is its worst enemy, 

 and this voracious fish devours many young 

 grebes during the early days of their exist- 



ence. In winter the crested grebes go to the 

 sea and tidal rivers. 



273. Red-necked Grebe. Podicipes grise'igena 



(Boddaert) 

 A rather rare winter visitant, and in Suffolk 

 almost entirely a marine species. 



274. Slavonian Grebe. Podicipes auritus 



(Linn.) 

 This species, which breeds abundantly in 

 Iceland, is not uncommon as a winter visitant 

 to the east coast, but has not been recorded 

 from Suffolk in its very handsome summer 

 plumage. 



275. Eared Grebe. Podicipes nigruollis (C. 



L. Brehm) 

 A southern species, only occurring in the 

 spring and summer months. On 3 August, 

 1878, a fine male was shot near the martello 

 tower at Aldeburgh. In winter dress it 

 much resembles the Slavonian grebe at the 

 same season, but is smaller and has a slightly 

 up-turned bill. 



276. Little Grebe or Dabchick. Podicipes 



fluviatilis (Tunstall) 



Locally, Dabchick, Deve-dobbler ; Dobchicken 

 (Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain). 



A common resident, which breeds not only 

 on large pieces of water, but also on ponds 

 and even in meadow dykes. Its nest with 

 the eggs covered might easily be taken for a 

 mass of weeds, and this has been well illus- 

 trated by Mr. Kearton's photographs, which 

 he obtained in east Suffolk. The dabchick is 

 an early breeder, having eggs by the end of 

 April, and as the young in down have been 

 found late in August {Zoologist, 1873, p. 3798) 

 it must sometimes breed twice in a year. 

 The eggs of this and all the other grebes are 

 protected in west Suffolk. 



277. Storm-Petrel. Procellaria pelagica,'Li\nn. 



This tiny sea-bird is an autumn visitant, 

 and is well known to the lighthouse and 

 lightship keepers, as in its ocean wanderings 

 it frequently strikes the lanterns, and more 

 than one has been thus obtained at the 

 Languard station. Storm-petrels are occa- 

 sionally picked up inland, and after the gale 

 mentioned above in the note on the puffin 

 one was found at Livermere. Except in very 

 rough weather it rarely approaches the land. 



278. Leach's Fork-tailed Petrel. Oceanodro- 



ma leucorrhoa (Vieillot) 



This species is easily recognized by its 

 larger size and forked tail, and is much rarer 



213 



