NATATORES. 243 



object of our desire flew steadily on, and was lost in 

 the distance amid the rough water. Cold, wet, and 

 disappointed, we turned homewards in the driving 

 rain, and left Podiceps cristatus in the enjoyment of 

 the liberty it had so hardly earned. The following 

 day it had disappeared. 



The food of the Grebes is chiefly fish, but they 

 also take numbers of insects. 



A fine Crested Grebe, kept on the water in St. 

 James's Park, is mentioned by Mr. Yarrell, and 

 Mr. Thompson says : " This was probably the same 

 individual which afforded much amusement to a 

 friend and myself one evening at the end of April, 

 by the extreme agility displayed in flycatching. It 

 pursued its prey in all possible ways, shooting its 

 neck vertically upwards for any passing over-head, 

 the next moment to one side or other, and again 

 making a rush along the surface of the water for two 

 or three yards after some winged insect. I never 

 saw so much agility displayed by any bird in this 

 pursuit ; all the numerous species of Anatida on the 

 water, though busied by flycatching also, were the 

 veriest dolts compared with the Grebe." 



EARED GREBE, Podiceps auritus. The rarest of 

 our British Grebes. The earliest notice which I 

 have been able to find of its occurrence in this 

 county, is in Edwards' * Gleanings.' That author, 

 writing in 1743, says that he found several birds of 

 this species in the London markets, during the hard 



