﻿194 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  Early 
  nesting, 
  &c, 
  of 
  Little 
  Grebe 
  (Podicipes 
  fluviatilis). 
  — 
  A 
  river 
  

   keeper, 
  upon 
  whose 
  word 
  strict 
  reliance 
  may 
  be 
  placed, 
  has 
  just 
  told 
  j 
  

   me 
  that 
  he 
  saw 
  a 
  nest 
  of 
  the 
  Little 
  Grebe, 
  containing 
  four 
  fresh 
  eggs, 
  

   on 
  March 
  10th, 
  which, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  my 
  experience 
  goes, 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  early 
  

   date 
  for 
  such 
  an 
  occurrence. 
  A 
  gentleman, 
  when 
  Salmon-fishing 
  a 
  few 
  

   weeks 
  ago, 
  detected 
  some 
  white 
  object 
  upon 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  river-weeds, 
  

   and 
  on 
  closer 
  acquaintance 
  saw 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  silvery 
  breast 
  of 
  a 
  Grebe, 
  the 
  

   bird 
  having 
  been 
  choked 
  in 
  its 
  attempt 
  to 
  swallow 
  a 
  Bullhead 
  (Cottiis 
  

   gobio). 
  He 
  brought 
  the 
  bird 
  to 
  me 
  with 
  the 
  fish 
  (which 
  was 
  full 
  of 
  

   spawn) 
  stuck 
  fast 
  in 
  its 
  gullet, 
  supposing 
  such 
  a 
  case 
  unique 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  

   assured 
  him 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  fact 
  comparatively 
  well 
  known, 
  and 
  that 
  three 
  or 
  

   four 
  similar 
  instances 
  had 
  come 
  under 
  my 
  own 
  observation. 
  Being 
  

   the 
  commonest 
  of 
  its 
  class, 
  and 
  a 
  "resident" 
  species, 
  what 
  lover 
  of 
  the 
  

   feathered 
  tribes 
  but 
  has 
  watched 
  with 
  pleasure 
  the 
  interesting 
  move- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  this 
  expert 
  little 
  bird, 
  which, 
  when 
  feeding 
  unmolested, 
  swims 
  

   and 
  dives 
  near 
  the 
  same 
  spot 
  with 
  a 
  business-like 
  regularity, 
  but 
  if 
  

   disturbed 
  dives, 
  and 
  often 
  disappears 
  in 
  a 
  most 
  marvellous 
  manner. 
  It 
  

   was 
  formerly 
  much 
  commoner 
  on 
  the 
  Avon 
  than 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  of 
  late 
  

   years, 
  and 
  was 
  often 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  fisherman's 
  nets 
  ; 
  on 
  one 
  occasion, 
  

   when 
  dragging 
  the 
  net 
  for 
  Roach, 
  no 
  fewer 
  than 
  three 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  

   taken 
  in 
  one 
  day 
  by 
  this 
  means. 
  I 
  knew 
  an 
  old 
  birdcatcher 
  who 
  used 
  

   always 
  to 
  eat 
  the 
  Little 
  Grebe 
  when 
  he 
  could 
  get 
  it, 
  and 
  he 
  once 
  told 
  

   me 
  it 
  was 
  very 
  good 
  either 
  stewed 
  or 
  roast 
  ; 
  tastes 
  differ, 
  but 
  the 
  

   natural 
  smell 
  of 
  the 
  species, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  flabby 
  and 
  oily 
  condition 
  

   of 
  the 
  flesh, 
  never 
  seemed 
  to 
  recommend 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  very 
  toothsome 
  morsel. 
  

   G. 
  B. 
  Corbin 
  (Ringwood, 
  Hants). 
  

  

  Nesting 
  Notes. 
  — 
  On 
  March 
  12th 
  a 
  Wild 
  Duck 
  was 
  sitting 
  on 
  eleven 
  

   eggs 
  in 
  a 
  gorse-field 
  near 
  Stanmore, 
  Middlesex. 
  On 
  April 
  20th 
  a 
  pair 
  

   of 
  Buzzards 
  had 
  three 
  eggs, 
  and 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  Ravens 
  five 
  young 
  in 
  the 
  

   nest, 
  nearly 
  ready 
  to 
  fly 
  (Devon). 
  — 
  Bernard 
  B. 
  Riviere 
  (Flasley, 
  

   82, 
  Finchley 
  Road, 
  N.W.). 
  

  

  