﻿418 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  reproduce 
  it 
  here 
  almost 
  word 
  for 
  word, 
  omitting 
  anything 
  that 
  

   by 
  any 
  possibility 
  might 
  tend 
  to 
  divulge 
  the 
  situation 
  of 
  the 
  

   colony. 
  He 
  writes 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  3rd 
  June, 
  1904, 
  we 
  visited 
  a 
  shallow 
  lake 
  about 
  

   three-quarters 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  length. 
  The 
  surrounding 
  ground 
  is 
  

   very 
  marshy, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  half 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  itself 
  is 
  

   covered 
  by 
  beds 
  of 
  club-rush, 
  bogbean, 
  pondweed, 
  and 
  persicaria. 
  

   When 
  we 
  were 
  walking 
  round 
  the 
  lake 
  we 
  caught 
  sight 
  of 
  a 
  

   Black-necked 
  Grebe 
  in 
  full 
  summer 
  dress 
  in 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  pondweed 
  

   at 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  big 
  patches 
  of 
  club 
  -rush. 
  This 
  bird, 
  

   which 
  we 
  watched 
  for 
  an 
  hour 
  or 
  so, 
  did 
  not 
  feed 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  

   water, 
  but 
  passed 
  from 
  one 
  bed 
  of 
  pondweed 
  to 
  another, 
  fre- 
  

   quently 
  diving 
  for 
  short 
  periods 
  in 
  a 
  limited 
  area. 
  When 
  we 
  got 
  

   round 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  we 
  saw 
  another, 
  or 
  possibly 
  

   the 
  same, 
  bird, 
  diving 
  in 
  open 
  water 
  near 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  

   club-rush; 
  and 
  we 
  also 
  watched, 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  fifty 
  or 
  sixty 
  

   yards, 
  two 
  pairs 
  of 
  birds, 
  each 
  with 
  two 
  downy 
  young. 
  A 
  few 
  

   days 
  later 
  we 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  again. 
  At 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  we 
  

   had 
  seen 
  the 
  two 
  pairs 
  with 
  their 
  young 
  on 
  the 
  3rd 
  there 
  were 
  

   then 
  four 
  pairs, 
  with 
  one, 
  two, 
  two, 
  and 
  three 
  young 
  ones 
  

   respectively. 
  Sometimes 
  one 
  and 
  sometimes 
  another 
  of 
  these 
  

   birds 
  would 
  be 
  hidden 
  in 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  rushes 
  or 
  bogbean, 
  but 
  at 
  

   times 
  all 
  four 
  pairs 
  were 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  feeding 
  within 
  a 
  limited 
  area 
  

   in 
  the 
  shallow 
  water. 
  In 
  another 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  lake 
  we 
  saw 
  a 
  fifth 
  

   pair 
  with 
  rather 
  larger 
  young, 
  and 
  two 
  unattached 
  adults. 
  As 
  

   the 
  birds 
  were 
  sometimes 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  from 
  us, 
  we 
  had 
  an 
  

   excellent 
  opportunity 
  of 
  seeing 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  their 
  plumage. 
  

   When 
  both 
  birds 
  of 
  a 
  pair 
  were 
  side 
  by 
  side, 
  the 
  larger 
  size 
  of 
  

   the 
  male 
  was 
  quite 
  apparent, 
  but 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  difference 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  

   seen 
  in 
  the 
  plumage 
  of 
  the 
  sexes. 
  The 
  neck, 
  black 
  before 
  and 
  

   behind, 
  was 
  clearly 
  divided 
  from 
  the 
  dull 
  white 
  of 
  the 
  breast 
  and 
  

   belly 
  (the 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  under 
  parts 
  was 
  only 
  seen 
  when 
  the 
  birds 
  

   raised 
  themselves 
  in 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  flapped 
  their 
  wings, 
  or 
  rolled 
  

   on 
  one 
  side 
  to 
  preen 
  themselves) 
  ; 
  when 
  they 
  flapped 
  their 
  wings 
  

   the 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  primaries 
  and 
  secondaries 
  showed 
  clearly. 
  A 
  

   black 
  frontal 
  crest 
  stood 
  up, 
  showing 
  off 
  the 
  silky 
  ear-coverts 
  

   which 
  shone 
  like 
  golden 
  oat-straw 
  ; 
  eyes 
  a 
  bright 
  clear 
  ruby, 
  

   something 
  like 
  a 
  ripe 
  red-currant 
  with 
  the 
  light 
  shining 
  through 
  

   it 
  ; 
  bill 
  black. 
  The 
  rufous 
  feathers 
  of 
  the 
  flanks, 
  which 
  covered 
  

  

  