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  ON 
  THE 
  BREEDING 
  OF 
  THE 
  BLACK-NECKED 
  GREBE 
  

  

  (PODICIPES 
  NIGRICOLLIS) 
  IN 
  THE 
  BRITISH 
  

  

  ISLANDS. 
  

  

  By 
  0. 
  V. 
  Aplin, 
  F.L.S. 
  

  

  Some 
  years 
  ago, 
  while 
  writing 
  the 
  articles 
  on 
  Grebes 
  in 
  the 
  

   work 
  called 
  ' 
  British 
  Birds, 
  their 
  Nests 
  and 
  Eggs,' 
  I 
  took 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  trouble 
  to 
  investigate 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  in 
  

   our 
  islands, 
  and 
  the 
  various 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  breeding 
  of 
  the 
  rarer 
  

   species 
  in 
  Great 
  Britain. 
  It 
  therefore 
  gives 
  me 
  especial 
  pleasure 
  

   to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  announce 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  recently 
  received 
  satisfactory 
  

   evidence 
  that 
  several 
  pairs 
  of 
  the 
  Black-necked, 
  or, 
  to 
  give 
  it 
  its 
  

   more 
  time-honoured 
  name, 
  the 
  Eared 
  Grebe 
  (Podicipes 
  nigri- 
  

   collis), 
  reared 
  their 
  young 
  in 
  Britain 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1904- 
  

  

  The 
  discoverers 
  of 
  this 
  most 
  important 
  and 
  interesting 
  fact 
  

   prefer 
  to 
  remain 
  entirely 
  anonymous, 
  in 
  order 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  

   guard 
  more 
  effectually 
  against 
  the 
  locality 
  in 
  which 
  this 
  little 
  

   colony 
  of 
  Grebes 
  has 
  established 
  itself 
  becoming 
  generally 
  known. 
  

   It 
  is 
  unfortunate 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  precaution 
  should 
  be 
  necessary, 
  but 
  

   the 
  reason 
  for 
  taking 
  it 
  need 
  hardly 
  be 
  indicated. 
  

  

  The 
  news 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  breeding 
  was 
  communicated 
  to 
  

   me 
  at 
  once, 
  and, 
  after 
  considerable 
  deliberation, 
  it 
  was 
  decided 
  

   that 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  another 
  species 
  being 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  birds 
  

   breeding 
  in 
  these 
  islands 
  ought 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  kept 
  a 
  secret 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  

   I, 
  an 
  outsider 
  (for 
  I 
  was 
  prevented 
  from 
  taking 
  advantage 
  of 
  a 
  

   kind 
  offer 
  to 
  show 
  me 
  the 
  birds), 
  should 
  be 
  entrusted 
  with 
  the 
  

   pleasing 
  duty 
  of 
  making 
  known 
  this 
  important 
  discovery. 
  

  

  It 
  must 
  suffice 
  for 
  me 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  the 
  names 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  

   the 
  good 
  fortune 
  to 
  find 
  these 
  beautiful 
  Grebes 
  breeding 
  with 
  us 
  

   are 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  ornithologists, 
  and, 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  identi- 
  

   fication 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  in 
  question, 
  would 
  carry 
  complete 
  conviction 
  

   to 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  anyone 
  ; 
  moreover, 
  I 
  may 
  add 
  that 
  three 
  other 
  

   ornithologists 
  have 
  had 
  the 
  privilege 
  of 
  seeing 
  the 
  birds. 
  

  

  A 
  transcript 
  from 
  the 
  note-book 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  discoverers 
  has 
  

   been 
  entrusted 
  to 
  me, 
  and 
  I 
  feel 
  that 
  I 
  cannot 
  do 
  better 
  than 
  

  

  Zool. 
  4th 
  ser. 
  vol. 
  VIII., 
  November, 
  1904. 
  2 
  k 
  

  

  