402 NATATORES. PODICEPS. GREBE. 



met with throughout the kingdom, in all such places as suit 

 its particular economy. In the southern counties of Eng- 

 land, where ponds are often fringed with aquatic plants, and 

 the rivers and brooks run deep and slow, the Dabchick is 

 much more plentiful than in the northern districts, where 

 the streams being generally shallower, and the current ra- 

 pid, there is not a sufficient growth of aquatic herbage upon 

 their borders, to afford this and birds of a similar nature 

 concealment during the period of nidification. Like most of 

 its congeners, the present species, in its progress to maturity, 

 is subject to a considerable change in the colours of the plu- 

 mage, more particularly about the head and neck, and has, 

 in the different states, been described by authors as two dis- 

 tinct species, viz. as the Little Grebe and the Black-Chin 

 Grebe, the first denoting the young bird, the other after it 

 has acquired the characteristic markings of maturity. It 

 leads a truly aquatic life, being seldom seen on shore, where, 

 indeed, it is unable to make much progress, from the confor- 

 mation and position of its feet ; but this deficiency is com- 

 pensated by powers more adapted to its peculiar habits, those 

 of swimming and diving, which it possesses in as great per- 

 fection as any of its tribe. When disturbed, it immediately 

 dives, and remains for some time submerged ; and should the 

 cause of its apprehension still continue in sight, after a first 

 survey, it retires to the weeds, where it remains with the 

 body immersed, and with the bill and part of the head only 

 Food, above the water. -Its food consists of aquatic insects, small 

 fish, grasses, See., and in its stomach, when opened, is gene- 

 rally found a small mass of its abdominal feathers. During 

 winter, when the ponds and brooks become frozen, Dabchicks 

 betake themselves to the mouths of rivers and small retired 

 bays, where they feed upon shrimps, fry of fish, and marine 

 insects. At this season I have several times caught them in 

 BucUe Bay on the coast of Northumberland, when they hap- 

 pened to be left in small pools after the recess of the tide. 

 Having first dived, they afterwards invariably endeavoured 



