The Zoologist — September, 1870. 5>279 



winter plumage : the adult male has the breast of a beautiful glowing 

 maroon buff-colour. Penan uthnoe. 



Great Crested Grebe. — Not uncommon in winter on marshes in the 

 Land's End district: it is rarely met with in the southern and western 

 counties in its tufted plumage. 



Rednecked Grebe, — Quite as often occurring as the last-named 

 species, frequenting the same localities ; sometimes killed towards the 

 spring, when some of the red feathers on the neck appear, charac- 

 teristic of its nuptial livery. Base of the bill in this species yellow. 



Sctavonian Grebe. — Specimens not in adult plumage occasionally 

 obtained from the Land's End district, but less numerous than the two 

 last-named species. 



(Several specimens of the horned grebe {Podiceps cornutus) came to 

 hand during the late hard winter, from different localities in West Corn- 

 wall. All the specimens that I saw were without elongated feathers or 

 fringes, and were, I presume, either in the first year or in winter plumage. 

 —April 9, 1870.) 



Eared Grebe. — Specimens not unfrequently obtained from the 

 neighbourhood of Penzance, but generally in immature plumage : a 

 specimen in adult summer plumage obtained some years since from 

 St. Just pool, Falmouth harbour, and now in the Truro Museum ; 

 another from Helford river, now in my collection. 



Little Grebe. — The most commonly distributed of all the grebes in 

 the Land's End district. In summer plumage the neck is dark red, 

 with the chin black, and as such it has been described as a distinct 

 species, under the name of the "black-chinned grebe:" in this state 

 it has been obtained from Trengwainton ponds. Madron ; it is usually 

 known by the name of " dabchick." 



Great Northern Diver. — Found more or less abundantly every year 

 in Mount's Bay, generally in immature plumage, and in the autumnal 

 months ; though of late years some specimens in the adult state have 

 been killed. It is now supposed that the full-spotted plumage of this 

 bird, and of the other two species, is not only indicative of maturity, 

 but also of the adult summer slate, which gives way at the autumnal 

 moult to the " Imber" plumage. It is a question whether in very old 

 birds the full-speckled plumage is not retained perennially: occa- 

 sionally specimens are seen on the Cornish coast in the winter months 

 in the full plumage of summer, and it has been attributed to accident 

 or disease, but I rather think that this will generally prove to be the 

 exception with very old birds. See articles in the * Zoologist' on the 

 plumage of this bird. 



