SCLAVONIAN GREBE. 463 



migration or in winter south of the Baltic. It breeds in Greenland, 

 Iceland, and the Faroes, and winters in the North Sea, on the Atlantic 

 coasts as far as Gibraltar, and in the Black Sea. It can only be regarded 

 as an accidental visitor to the northern shores of the Mediterranean. In 

 Asia it is extremely abundant in South-west Siberia, the basin of Lake 

 Baikal, and in Dauria, but appears to be rarer in the Lower Amoor. It 

 passes through Turkestan on migration, and winters in the Caspian Sea, 

 and probably in the Yellow and Japan Seas, as Prjevalsky observed it in 

 South-east Mongolia ; and I have two examples from Japan and one from 

 China. On the American continent it breeds in Alaska and throughout 

 British North America south of the Arctic circle. It winters in the 

 northern United States, in some of the western of which a few remain to 

 breed. It is an accidental visitor to the Bermudas. It has no nearer 

 ally than the Black-throated Grebe. 



The Sclavonian Grebe leaves its breeding-grounds in Iceland in October, 

 and appears on our shores during that month in small parties, the adult 

 birds remaining paired during the winter, but frequently several pairs 

 consorting together. It chiefly frequents sheltered bays and inlets on the 

 coast, but occasionally appears on inland sheets of water as far as twenty 

 miles from the sea-shore. It leaves us again late in April or during May ; 

 but its nests seldom contain eggs before June. It makes a nest near the 

 banks of lakes, which, like those of its allies, is generally a floating struc- 

 ture composed of the decayed water-plants amongst which it is placed. 

 Kriiper occasionally found it on a tussock of grass in the water and once 

 on a stone. The sitting bird carefully covers her eggs on the approach of 

 danger and dives to a considerable distance to join her mate; but on one 

 occasion, when the eggs were highly incubated, Kriiper listened to the 

 female crying on the nest, whilst the male attempted to frighten him away 

 by suddenly rising out of the water in front of him, splashing with its feet 

 in the water, and joining its cries to those of its mate. So persistent 

 was it that Kriiper returned to the shore for his butterfly-net, and when 

 the performance was repeated caught the bird in it. The number of eggs 

 never exceeds five. They are of precisely the same shape and colour as 

 those of the allied species. They vary in length from T9 to 1'6 inch, and 

 in breadth from 1'2 to I'l inch. They are smaller than eggs of the Red- 

 necked Grebe and larger than those of the Little Grebe, but are indis- 

 tinguishable from eggs of the Black-throated Grebe. 



Both Kriiper and Procter remarked the interesting habit of the old bird 

 diving with her young under her wing, who were then conveyed for a 

 considerable distance under water. In the nature of its food and in its 

 habits this species differs very little from its allies. Its note is described 

 as very similar to that of the Black-necked Grebe ; but it is said to be 

 somewhat less shy and to take wing more readily. 



