Birds. 9565 



gives nie the idea of being a bird of last year, and that the full ruff will not appear. 

 How old are ihe male birds before they put on their full court dress? — Edward Hearle 

 Rodd. 



Note on the Rednecked Grebe. — During the last three weeks I have bought five 

 specimens of this bird in the Bivmingham fisli-mavket, three of which were killed on 

 the Fern Island, Norlhuraberlaud, and senl here from Scarborouj:;h with fish. The 

 three killed on the Fern Island, two males and a female, I bought on the 3rd instant: 

 the female measured, from tip of bill lo rump, 1 foot 5f inches, and weighed 1 tb. 

 5^ ounces ; one of liie males 1 foot of inches, and weighed 1 fb. 7^ ounces ; the other 

 1 foot 7^ inches, and weij^hed 1 ft. 12 ounces. Tlie remaining two I bought on the 

 20ih in.stant; one measured from tip of bill to rump 1 fool 6 inches, and only weighed 

 1ft. '2^ ounces; it was in a very emaciated condition: the other weighed 1 ft. 

 IQi ounces, and measured 1 foot 7 inches. Is not the male measuring 1 foot 

 7i- inches from tip of beak to rump a large bird? I observe Mr. Morris states the 

 length of the male is from i foot 4 j inches to 1 fool 6 inches. — C. B. Hodgson; 

 Hunton Hill, near Binniiiyham, March 21, 1865. 



Great Crested Grebe in Warwickshire. — -A fine bird of this species, in beautiful 

 clean plumage, was killed on the 5th of March, on the reservoir near Earl's Wood, 

 Warwickshire: it measured from tip of beak to rump, I foot lOj inches. I have in my 

 Collection another, though not so fine a bird, which was killed in the same place in 

 1858.— W. 



Sclavonian Grebe near Salisbury. — As I believe this grebe is not frequently found 

 inland, I thought its occurrence near this town might be interesting to some of the 

 readers of the 'Zuologisl.' Ou the 11 lb of February I was walking on ihe lianks of 

 the River Avon, about two miles from this town, in some of our beautiful water 

 meadows, when I saw, at some distance off, a bird which I at first look for a dabchick, 

 which are very numerous about here; but, as I found it did not dive on my nearer 

 approach, I looked again, and at once guessed what it was. I had a young friend 

 with me, whom I immediately sent to obtain a gun, and during ihiee-quarlers of an 

 hour the bird allowed me to keep it within twenty yards of the same place, by walking 

 at some little distance off the bank and heading it back as often as it had swam two 

 or three yards off. It certainly (according to Meyer's description of it) does not seem 

 to share in the shy nature of the other grebes, especially as 1 apparently missed it 

 with the first barrel, ou which it dived about four yards and came up again, when 

 I killed it. I should think it a male bird in winter plumage; length 13 inches; the 

 feathers 0!i the head beginning to assume the appearance of a crest; breast and all 

 under parts pure silvery while; top of head and all back parts dark, approaching 

 nearly to black, the edges of the feathers being slightly lighter. The iris of the eye 

 has a narrow circle of yellow round the pupil, and the rest carmine-pink, pink flesh 

 extending also from the beak to the eye, and in a slight degree under the beak. — 

 Arthur P . Morres ; Salisbury. 



Note on the Great Crested Grebe. — A beautiful specimen, procured from the person 

 who shot it on Gorton Reservoir, near this city, was lately offered in Manchester 

 Market. It is a female, in the second year's plumage, aud most probably a straggler 

 from Roslherne Mere, the nearest of their breediug-places : it was in capital condition, 

 yet the stomach contained the largest and most compact mass of feathers that I have 

 observed in these birds: there was no admixture of food, nor indeed any room for it. 

 This feather-mass in the grebe's stomach is a matter requiring elucidation. The 



