434 THE GREBES 



scatter amongst the reeds, and there, in concealment, they await the 

 propitious moment for emergence. 



Until the young are somewhat advanced they remain during a 

 great part of the day on the nest, beneath the wings of the mother, 

 and are provided with food by the male. On his appearance with 

 some tempting morsel, one or other of the brood thrusts out its head 

 from the mother's wing to receive it. In their coloration they 

 resemble the young of the great crested-grebe, but the striping is not 

 so vivid, and the red patch on the crown is wanting. 



At no time does the breast of the adult display the silvery white- 

 ness so characteristic of the great crested-grebe, though the feathers 

 present the same satin-like sheen. Is this fact in any way concerned 

 with the environment, or is it, in both cases, a matter of specific 

 idiosyncrasy, of no special importance in the struggle for existence ? 

 Nor does the iris of the dabchick present the same striking difference 

 between youth and age which is seen in the case of the great crested- 

 grebe. 



The difference between the nuptial and post-nuptial plumages are 

 by no means so strongly marked as in the case of its larger relative 

 Podicipes cristattis, but whether this fact has anything to do with the 

 need for concealment, or whether it is merely a phase in the evolution 

 of a more resplendent dress, we cannot say. 



