By Marsh and Mere 



with which it swims and by its well developed 

 crest and tippet or ruff. On one of the larger 

 66 Broads," not long ago, I saw at least a dozen of 

 these birds, and heard them calling to each other 

 with a hoarse kind of croak. A short search in a 

 large bed of reeds, near which a pair were 

 swimming, resulted in the discovery of a nest, 

 whereon the hoarse croak of the birds at once 

 changed to sharp cries of alarm " kek-kek, kek- 

 kek." In their anxiety they gradually approached 

 us, continually diving and each time re-appearing 

 a little nearer. Their elongated, boat-like bodies 

 seemed to encounter the minimum of resistance 

 from the water, in which, indeed, they appeared 

 as much at home as most birds are in the air. It 

 would be difficult to describe how they dive. To 

 the most casual glance they seem to simply duck 

 their heads beneath the surface and disappear. 

 The most careful observation reveals no more. 

 There is no effort, no splash, hardly a ripple to 

 mark the spot where once they were. 



The crown of the head and divided crest is 

 dusky, the cheeks are whitish, and round the 

 upper neck is a tippet of dark, rust-red feathers, 

 which is perhaps the distinguishing feature of the 

 bird. For the rest, the upper surface is dark 

 brown, the under silvery white turning to chestnut 

 on the sides and flanks. The female is rather 

 smaller, and her crest is less developed. 



The nest we found was, to all appearance, a 

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