NOTES ON ILLUSTRATIONS 97 



" December (jth. 



" The storm petrel drawing is lovely, and I can 

 suggest no alteration. The brown snipe is equally good, 

 but with regard to the proposed figure in the background, 

 I would suggest putting the bird on both feet ; I like 

 the attitude delineated, but certain captious subscribers 

 have objected to some pictures on account of this one- 

 legged attitude." 



" Bournemouth, January zsth, 1896. 



" I return the drawing of the grebe, which, good as 

 it was before, is now, I think, much improved. Dabchick 

 or little grebe was, I think, amongst the names I sent 

 you, and I think that those two with horned and eared 

 grebes would make a good set of four. I have a fair 

 specimen (British) in Princes Street of eared grebe shot 

 by Lord Clifton in my presence in Weymouth Bay in 

 April 1876, but no doubt you will be able to obtain 

 more fully adult birds. In the drawing of this species 

 I should like to introduce nest and eggs. I have plenty 

 of the latter, which when first laid are of the usual greenish- 

 yellow white, but in Spain soon become very deep un- 

 broken chocolate colour, from the constant covering with 

 rotten weeds in a hot sun ; but, as I think of it, the 

 eared grebe has never been known to breed in this 

 country, so perhaps the dabchick's nest (which as the 

 spring advances you will be able to study from nature 

 in St. James's Park) would be the more appropriate for 

 this work." 



7 



