﻿BREEDING 
  OF 
  THE 
  BLACK-NECKED 
  GREBE. 
  419 
  

  

  much 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  when 
  the 
  birds 
  were 
  swimming 
  in 
  a 
  normal 
  

   position, 
  shone 
  in 
  the 
  sun 
  with 
  a 
  bronze 
  lustre. 
  The 
  black 
  neck 
  

   and 
  wings 
  also 
  showed 
  metallic-green 
  reflections. 
  When 
  the 
  

   wings 
  were 
  raised 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  cradle 
  for 
  the 
  young, 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  

   white 
  feathers 
  showed 
  clearly. 
  The 
  upcurved 
  lower 
  mandible 
  

   was 
  clearly 
  visible. 
  The 
  young 
  were 
  clothed 
  in 
  ashy-grey 
  down, 
  

   striped 
  on 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  neck 
  ; 
  under 
  parts 
  white 
  ; 
  bill 
  lead- 
  

   coloured. 
  The 
  adults, 
  when 
  seen 
  from 
  behind, 
  looked 
  very 
  broad 
  

   in 
  the 
  stern, 
  as 
  Dabchicks 
  do. 
  The 
  bill 
  looked 
  very 
  short 
  and 
  

   sharp, 
  an 
  effect 
  produced 
  by 
  its 
  recurved 
  shape 
  and 
  the 
  abrupt 
  

   rise 
  of 
  the 
  frontal 
  crest. 
  

  

  The 
  birds 
  never 
  travelled 
  far 
  under 
  water, 
  but 
  dived 
  in 
  a 
  

   limited 
  area, 
  as 
  Dabchicks 
  do. 
  The 
  consecutive 
  dives 
  of 
  one 
  

   bird, 
  which 
  we 
  timed, 
  were 
  25, 
  10, 
  25, 
  24, 
  9, 
  14, 
  12, 
  25, 
  9, 
  and 
  

   23 
  seconds 
  respectively. 
  Generally 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  parents 
  attended 
  

   the 
  young, 
  either 
  carrying 
  them 
  on 
  its 
  back, 
  or 
  swimming 
  

   near 
  them, 
  whilst 
  the 
  other 
  dived 
  for 
  food 
  ; 
  but 
  sometimes 
  both 
  

   parents 
  were 
  under 
  water 
  together, 
  a 
  lack 
  of 
  caution 
  which 
  I 
  

   have 
  never 
  known 
  in 
  the 
  Great 
  Crested 
  Grebe. 
  Both 
  sexes 
  

   carried 
  the 
  young 
  on 
  their 
  backs. 
  We 
  never 
  saw 
  a 
  bird 
  dive 
  

   with 
  its 
  young 
  on 
  its 
  back 
  as 
  Dabchicks 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  do. 
  The 
  old 
  

   bird, 
  when 
  about 
  to 
  rise, 
  rose 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  flapped 
  its 
  wings, 
  and 
  

   shook 
  off 
  the 
  young 
  ones. 
  

  

  This 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  invariable 
  habit 
  of 
  Podicipes 
  cristatus 
  

   under 
  similar 
  circumstances. 
  Once 
  the 
  brood 
  of 
  three 
  young 
  

   were 
  all 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  one 
  parent 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time. 
  The 
  little 
  

   creatures 
  clambered 
  up 
  over 
  the 
  bird's 
  tail 
  as 
  the 
  young 
  of 
  

   P. 
  cristatus 
  do. 
  Small 
  fish 
  were 
  sometimes 
  brought 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  

   old 
  birds, 
  but 
  the 
  food 
  generally 
  captured 
  was 
  something 
  else 
  — 
  

   we 
  could 
  not 
  make 
  out 
  what. 
  The 
  young 
  were 
  fed 
  sometimes 
  

   when 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  parent, 
  sometimes 
  when 
  in 
  the 
  

   water. 
  They 
  dived 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  seconds 
  now 
  and 
  then. 
  Once 
  

   when 
  a 
  bird 
  passed 
  overhead 
  the 
  three 
  young 
  in 
  one 
  brood 
  

   went 
  under 
  simultaneously. 
  On 
  one 
  occasion 
  two 
  adults 
  faced 
  

   one 
  another 
  with 
  necks 
  erect 
  and 
  bodies 
  raised 
  vertically, 
  

   as 
  Great 
  Crested 
  Grebes 
  do 
  when 
  courting, 
  but 
  we 
  could 
  not 
  

   make 
  out 
  whether 
  the 
  yellow 
  ear-coverts 
  were 
  then 
  expanded 
  

   laterally. 
  

  

  2k2 
  

  

  