Food. 
A402 NATATORES. PODICEPS. GREBE. 
met with throughout the kingdom, in all such places as suit 
its particular economy. In the southern counties of Eng- 
land, where ponds are often fringed with aquatic plants, and 
the rivers and brooks run deep and slow, the Dabchick is 
much more plentiful than in the northern districts, where 
the streams being generally shallower, and the current ra- 
pid, there is not a sufficient growth of aquatic herbage upon 
their borders, to afford this and birds of a similar nature 
concealment during the period of nidification. Like most of 
its congeners, the present species, in its progress to maturity, 
is subject to a considerable change in the colours of the plu- 
mage, more particularly about the head and neck, and has, 
in the different states, been described by authors as two dis- 
tinct species, viz. as the Little Grebe and the Black-Chin 
Grebe, the first denoting the young bird, the other after it 
has acquired the characteristic markings of maturity. It 
leads a truly aquatic life, being seldom seen on shore, where, 
indeed, it is unable to make much progress, from the confor- 
mation and position of its feet; but this deficiency is com- 
pensated by powers more adapted to its peculiar habits, those 
of swimming and diving, which it possesses in as great per- 
fection as any of its tribe. When disturbed, it immediately 
dives, and remains for some time submerged ; and should the 
cause of its apprehension still continue in sight, after a first 
survey, it retires to the weeds, where it remains with the 
body immersed, and with the bill and part of the head only 
above the water.—-Its food consists of aquatic insects, small 
fish, grasses, &c., and in its stomach, when opened, is gene- 
rally found a small mass of its abdominal feathers. During 
winter, when the ponds and brooks become frozen, Dabchicks 
betake themselves to the mouths of rivers and small retired 
bays, where they feed upon shrimps, fry of fish, and marine 
insects. At this season I have several times caught them in 
Budle Bay on the coast of Northumberland, when they hap- 
pened to be left in small pools after the recess of the tide. 
Having first dived, they afterwards invariably endeavoured 
