268 BRITISH BIRDS. 



will be remembered that three of these birds were shot in 

 Kent in May and June. 1903, and these being the first occur- 

 rences in the British Isles the species was included by the late 

 Howard Saunders in his paper on " Additions to the list of 

 British Birds since 1899" (cf. Vol. 1, p. 15). We are much 

 indebted to Mr. Charlton for the photograph which is repro- 

 duced in the accompanying figure. 



H. F. WlTHERBY. 



BLACK TERN IN HAMPSHIRE. 



On August 3rd, 1909, I watched at close range a single Black 

 Tern (H. nigra) hawking over the Farlington Marsh near 

 Langston Harbour, in company with some Black-headed Gulls. 

 This Tern was either a full-grown young bird of the year or 

 an adult nearly in winter plumage. 



H. Lynes. 



COLORATION OF THE SOFT PARTS OF THE 

 SLAVONIAN GREBE. 



As I read in Seebohm's " British Birds " that the hides of the 

 Slavonian Grebe (Podicipes auritus) are " crimson," and as 

 they are illustrated thus in both Gould's and Lilford's books, 

 it may be worth recording that the iris of this Grebe in the 

 month of November is a bright rose-pink, as nearly as 

 possible the colour of pink blotting paper. 



They are abundant where I am staying in the Western 

 Outer Hebrides, and I have shot three in the last few days, to 

 enable me to make an accurate record of the colour of the 

 eyes, bills and legs at this time of year. 



In Gould's " Birds of Great Britain " the bird is shown with 

 a white tip to the bill. In Lord Lilford's book it is red, which 

 may be correct in the breeding-plumage, but unfortunately 

 the artist has also given the bird in winter-plumage a red base 

 and tip to the bill. The bill at this season is a " washed-out " 

 grey-blue, darker towards the base of the upper mandible. 

 There is not a trace of crimson on it. 



The front of the legs and upper sides of the feet are the 

 same colour, the toes having yellow edges, but the backs and 

 under sides (uppermost when swimming) are almost black. 

 The throat and breast are pure white. 



The Slavonian Grebe takes very readily to flight, sometimes 

 settling again within two or three hundred yards, but more 

 often flying quite out of sight. 



