16 EARED GREBE. 



Although I can boast of but this one instance of seeing a 

 water-rail's nest, you may be sure they are not uncommon 

 here, but these birds live in places where humans can't fol- 

 low them : the spaces between the great sedge-tumps look 

 nice enough, something like custard with nutmeg grated 

 over it, and just as soft. I should add that all birds of this 

 species, but more particularly the young ones, have a weak 

 and languid flight : great numbers of the birds of the year 

 are quite unable to cross the sea, so that when the autum- 

 nal or southward migration sets in, we have arrivals of 

 water-rails from the north; many of which, as well perhaps 

 as the birds bred with us, stay here during the winter. I 

 have often killed them when snipe-shooting ; three or four 

 of a morning.* 



The EARED GREBE is resident in one locality, Forked 

 Pond, a very pretty lake-like piece of water on the Peper- 

 harrow estate; a portion of the pond is in the park, and 

 here its margin is wooded and picturesque, but towards the 

 silk-mills, at the Hammerponds end, it is more exposed. 

 On this pond I have observed these rare grebes many 

 following seasons, not in great numbers, but two or three 

 pairs, and they always keep out in the middle of the pond. 

 Mr. Henry Moline has a fine pair, which were probably 

 killed at this pond, having been sent to him by the late 

 Mr. Howard, of Elsted, but without the requisite informa- 

 tion as to locality. 



* The reader is referred to several papers in ' The Zoologist ' touching the 

 migration of the water-rail (Zool. 148, 575, 669, 766 and 796), by which it will 

 he seen that its migrations are still but imperfectly understood. E. N. 



