COLYMBID^E. 529 



waters. On the south coast of Devon I have fre- 

 quently seen it in the winter: it has also been 

 taken in the neighbouring county of Wilts, as far 

 inland as Salisbury, as there are several notices in 

 the 'Zoologist' of its capture in the river near that 

 place. 



Whether this bird remains to breed in any part 

 of Britain seems doubtful : it may, however, occa- 

 sionally do so, as it has been seen in perfect summer 

 plumage as late as the end of May.* The nest is 

 said to be placed amongst grass and rushes, not 

 attached to them, but floating on the water : it is 

 made of reeds and other aquatic plants. 



This bird appears to feed upon fish, beetles, roots 

 and other vegetable matter. As in that of the Great 

 Crested Grebe, feathers are constantly found in the 

 stomach of the present species. 



In full summer plumage this is a very handsome 

 bird : it is considerably smaller than the last-men- 

 tioned species, not exceeding a Common Guillemot 

 in size. The bill is black, white horn at the tip. 

 Yarrell says the hides are vermilion-red, and one 

 note in the * Zoologist' agrees with this description,! 

 but two other notes of recently-killed specimens 

 differ, one describing the iris as of two different 

 colours the inner rim white, the outer crimson, 



* Yarrell, vol. iii., p. 417. 



t ' Zoologist ' for 1864, p. 9048. 



