Variations in the Colouring of Colymbus. 525 



leucocephala. Colymbus griseigena breeds more especially at the 

 south end of the lake, but in much smaller numbers than C. 

 cristatus and C. nigricollis. Colymbus fluviatilis is more frequent 

 at the time of migration, especially in autumn. Colymbus 

 auritus I have observed only once, namely, three specimens 

 on the 11th of May, 1890. 



Colymbus cristatus breeds scattered all over the lake in 

 loose colonies of from five to ten pairs. Colymbus nigricollis, 

 on the contrary, breeds in large colonies, thousands of nests 

 being built on those loose heaps of reeds, which are either 

 cut low at the time of reed gathering, or consist of half 

 withered and dead stalks. 



The shooting season lasts generally from seven to eight days, 

 and the best results attained were in the year 1903, when 

 the following number of birds was killed :— 



March 21 889 head 



» 26 1292 „ 



„ 28 1442 „ 



„ 30 1274 „ 



April 2 1044 „ 



4 1639 „ 



8 1611 „ 



9191 head 



The greater part of the booty consisted of Fulica atra, 

 Colymbus cristatus and C. nigricollis, and only about 10 per cent, 

 were Duck. The largest number of Colymbus cristatus which 

 was shot in one day was 499, and in one year between 2000 

 and 6000, as I noted. At first, seeing these great numbers, 

 we might indeed think that it is a real massacre of birds, 

 but in reality this is not the case ; the shooting proceeds 

 in a very economical and reasonable way. In the breeding 

 season the birds are protected to the very utmost, and even 

 after that time only very little shooting goes on. One 

 can see the result in the fact that the birds increase 

 in number every year ; besides, as far as my positive 

 observation goes, Colymbus cristatus and C. griseigena are 

 decidedly very harmful to the fishing, and not even deserving 



