100 BRITISH BIRDS. 



white grey; inside coverts next the body curiously 

 barred, from the shaft of each feather to the edge, 

 with narrow^ white lines, formed nearly of the shape 

 of two sides of a triangle. Belly, vent, tail coverts, 

 and tail, white ; the last broadly barred with black, 

 the middle feathers having four bars, and those 

 next to them decreasing in the number of bars 

 towards the outside feathers, which are quite plain : 

 legs green. 



This bird is not any where numerous, and is of a 

 solitary disposition, seldom more than a pair being 

 seen together, and that chiefly in the breeding 

 season. It is scarce in England, but is said to be 

 more common in the northern parts of the globe, 

 even as far as Iceland. It is reported that they 

 never frequent the sea-shores, but their places of 

 abode are commonly on the margins of the lakes in 

 the interior and mountainous parts of the country. 



