Notes on the Indian Podicipedidce. 65


NOTES ON THE INDIAN PODICIPEDIDsE.


By Gordon Dalgliesh,


(Member oj the Bombay Natural History Society).


The genus Podicipes, as far as India is concerned, consists


of three species. Though the little Grebe is sometimes kept


separate the simple plan of including all the Indian genera in


one family is most convenient. The three species are :


1. Podicipes cristatus, the Great Crested Grebe.


Found in temperate Europe, Asia, Africa, and

Australia.


2. Podicipes nigricollis, the Black-necked Grebe.


Inhabiting temperate Europe, and Asia, N. and

S. Africa.


3. Podicipes albipennis, the Indian Little Grebe or


Dabchick. Found throughout India, Burma,

Ceylon, and Fao at the mouth of the Euphrates.



1. PODICIPES CRISTATUS, L.

The Great Crested Grebe.

Podicipes cristatus. Jerdon, B. I., iii. p. 821 ; Barnes, Birds of

Bombay, p. 418 ; Oates in Hume's N. &° E. of Ind. B., 2 ed.

iii. p. 401 ; Bulkley, Journ. Bomb. N. H. Soc, vi. p. 501 ;

Podicipes ciistatus, Blauford, Eauna Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p.

473 ; Dalgliesh, Journ. Bomb. N. II. Soc, xvii. p. 518.


This Grebe is common in Northern India and parts of

Bengal on the large f heels, and on the sea coasts of Mekran and

Karachi ; Hume saw a few specimens in Manipur. At least one

specimen appears to have been obtained in Burma, and one from

Assam. It has not yet been recorded from Ceylon. Although it

is a winter visitor to India it has been found breeding in Oudh

by Mr. A. Anderson, in Guzerat by Mr. Buckley — these two in-

stances in August, in Kashmir by Mr. Theobald in May, and my

friend Mr. C. M. Inglis of Darbhanga tells me he believed it

once bred in the Madhubaui Sub-Division of Tirhoot Bengal,

but I have no date of the occurrence. As I had exceptionally

good opportunities of watching this splendid bird in the breed-

ing season, I made notes on the spot which were published in the



