510 PODICIPEDID.E PODICIPES 



The females are slightly smaller and have the crest and ruff less 

 developed ; in the non-breeding dress these ornaments are quite 

 absent in both sexes. The young birds in down have curious 

 longitudinal stripes of deep smoky-brown and whitish-brown. 



Gurney states that South African birds can be distinguished 

 from those of Europe by their slightly smaller size and by the 

 absence of a white supercilliary line above the eye. 



A comparison of a South African bird with one in the South 

 African Museum from North Prussia does not reveal any material 

 difference in size, but in the case of the European bird, the white of 

 the face certainly extends very clearly up the eye on either side 

 and above to form a narrow superciliary streak, while in the South 



FIG. 157.- -Head of Fodicepcs cristatiis. x g 



African bird there is a narrow white line from the base of the beak 

 to the front of the eye but it does not extend above or behind the 

 eye. 



Should these differences prove constant our bird may, perhaps, 

 be worthy of subspecific distinction. 



Distribution. The Crested Grebe is found throughout the whole 

 of the Old World from Ireland to Japan and southwards to Cape 

 Colony, Australia and New Zealand. It does not occur in Mada- 

 gascar, antl has been met with in only one or two localities in 

 Central and Northern Africa, but in South Africa it appears to be 

 more widely spread and abundant, and will probably be found 



