THE DABCHICK. 45 



" I recently shot one of these birds (not one of the six), 

 and examined its crop. Therein I found three trout-ova, 

 a miller's thumb, a large number of water-shrimps, and 

 various other odds and ends not easily classified. I have 

 not the least doubt that later in the year, when the trout- 

 fry are about, many thousands of them go down the throats 

 of these pretty little pests. When not eating fry or ova, 

 they fill themselves with food which, from our point of 

 view, is the rightful property of trout '," viz., the larvae of the 

 May-fly. Sometimes, however, they take other fish, and 

 occasionally catch a Tartar. A dead dabchick has been 

 found choked by a large bull-head. 



A pair of dabchicks will do much more damage to a 

 river than a pair of otters. The amount of small fish they 

 take is perfectly astounding. A pair of dabchicks con- 

 fined in the Fish- House of the Zoological Gardens cost 

 the Society a considerable sum per week in providing 

 small fish for them. Think of this, ye breeders of trout, 

 and do not be surprised at the absence of fish in your 

 streams if dabchicks are plentiful. Fishing a well-pre- 

 served river the other day, we counted no less than seven 

 pairs of dabchicks feeding as hard as they could fish in 

 the space of a mile of the river. Much as we love to see 

 all the birds of the stream enjoying themselves, we are 

 afraid this little rascal is too much even for us. 



It is a bold, fearless bird, but very wary. Whilst fish- 

 ing on the Itchen this last summer, the keeper suddenly 

 put the net into the water and fished up a dabchick. He was 

 a male, in full breeding plumage, and beautiful he looked ; 

 but the moment he was caught he went at our fingers with 

 his sharp-pointed beak, not appearing at all scared. 



This bird is often seen on small ponds, but it prefers 

 open water. We once saw one on the Serpentine, and 

 the Zoologist records a nest on the Round Pond in 

 Kensington Gardens some years back. In full breeding 

 plumage the male has a deep reddish-chestnut neck, with 

 the breast a greyish-white ; upper surface of the body very 

 dark brown, dark-green legs, eyes a reddish-brown. The 

 bird builds rather a large nest of flags and reeds, and 



