HOKNED GKEBE 523 



Several instances are recorded from Lough Neagh. 



Single individuals are generally met with ; at times, 

 however, half a dozen or so may be seen diving in large 

 hays and sea-loughs. Mr. Warren, who has obtained several 

 specimens in winter, tells me, that in Killala Bay he has 

 usually seen these birds swimming in pairs. 



Flight. On the wing this Grebe may be distinguished 

 from the last species by its smaller size and shorter wings ; 

 for it is a little larger than the Black-necked Grebe, for 

 which it might easily be mistaken on the wing. 



Voice. The note is rather soft and may be syllabled 

 lib-lib, or sometimes che-che-chic. 



Food. Fish form the chief diet, and the bird has a 

 voracious appetite. As in the case of its congeners feathers 

 are frequently swallowed, which may be found in the gizzard 

 mingled with fish-bones and other indigestible substances. 



Nest. The nest, generally moist and in a state of decom- 

 position, is an untidy structure composed of reeds and other 

 water-plants. It either floats on the surface or is built up 

 from the bottom of the lake. 1 The smooth deep waters of 

 quiet sheltered lakes and ponds fringed with aquatic vegeta- 

 tion are the favourite breeding-haunts of this bird. 



In colour and shape the eggs are like those of other 

 Grebes, though often exhibiting when fresh a tint of bluish- 

 white. As incubation proceeds they become stained yel- 

 lowish-brown. Two to four generally constitute the clutch, 

 which is laid about the first week in June. The nestlings 

 are very carefully tended by their parents, the mother-bird 

 often diving with them under her wing. 



Geographical distribution. Abroad, 2 this Grebe, unlike its 

 congeners, resorts chiefly to northern climes in the breeding- 

 season. It nests in many countries of Arctic and Sub-arctic 

 Europe (including Iceland, where it is common), Asia, and 



1 Mr. Coburn found this bird breeding abundantl}" in some districts 

 in the north of Iceland, but none of the nests examined were " actual 

 noating structures ; they were built up from the bottom of the lake, 

 until the surface of the water was reached. The commonest site was 

 under a projecting mass of lava, without any surrounding vegetation, and 

 the eggs could be distinctly seen a long distance away." Mr. Coburn 

 has kindly allowed me to examine a fine series of nests, eggs, and young, 

 which he obtained when on his expedition (' Zoologist,' 1901, p. 417). 



- The evidences which from time to time, have been put forward to 

 support the view that this species has bred in the British Isles, rest on 

 too shaky a basis to admit of references. 



