THE SPECIES. 117 



POD! CI FED TDM, 

 Little Grebe. Bill decurved. 

 Eared Grebe. Bill curved upwards. 

 SCLAVONIAN Grebe. Bill straight. 

 Red-necked Grebe. No white eye stripe. 

 Great Crested Grebe. White eye stripe. 

 The Little Grebe— Dimensions, Hp ;_ Eggs, Is— otherwise the Dabchick, is our bird with 

 the smallest tail. It has a black chin in summer and a white chin in winter. The nest is a 

 floating one moored to a reed, and made of rotting water plants. It contains from four to 

 six eggs. 



The Eared Grebe— Dimensions, Kb ; Eggs, Mg — has the four inner primaries all white. 

 It is an occasional winter visitor, not yet proved to breed here. 



The Sclavonian Grebe — Dimensions, Kl ; Eggs, Lg— is also known as the Homed Grebe. 

 It is a winter visitor. 

 The Red-necked Grebe— Dimensions, Mt ; Eggs, Mn — is another winter visitor. 

 The Great Crested Grebe— Dimensions, Pr ; Eggs, Oi— is a resident. It flies with its 

 neck out and its legs out extending beyond the rudimentary tail, and flaps rapidly with its short 

 wings. Its call is ** kewawk." The female has a smaller crest and tippet than the male, and 

 as with him, these almost disappear in the winter. Its nest is usually afloat, and consists of 

 a wet mass of decaying vegetation, containing three or four eggs. 



Pratincola. Plate ii. TURDINM (Passeridas), 



15. rubetra, 5 in. Whinchat. Throat light reddish brown 



16. rubicola, 5J in. Stonechat. Throat black. 



The Whinchat — Dimensions, Bb ; Eggs Bq — is a summer migrant, arriving in April and 

 departing in October. Its three outer tail feathers have white bases. It roosts on the 

 ground, but is generally seen on the top of a bush, from which it dips off in a short flight to 

 another bush._ Its note is "00-tac, oo-tac, tac, tac, tac," and it sings on the wing. The 

 female is heavier than the male, paler in plumage, and with a much smaller wing bar. The 

 nest is on or near the ground, well hidden and approached by a mazy run, and built of straws, 

 moss, and grass, with a lining of flne grass. It contains from four to six eggs. 



The Stonechat— Dimensions, Bi; Eggs Ch — is a resident. The outer web of his tail 

 feathers has a buff edging, and he has a white stripe round the nape of his neck. He has a 

 darting flight from bush to bush. His song is a " wheet, chook, chook," and his call is a 

 sharp "chack." The female is a browner and plainer bird, with her upper tail coverts 

 reddish brown. The nest is generally at the bottom of a bush, and rather large for the i-ize of 

 the bird, often very neatly built of moss and dry grass, lined with hair and a little wool and 

 feathers. There are from four to seven eggs. 



Procellaria. Plate xxxiii. PROCELLARIIDM. 



397. pelagica, 5^ in. Stormy Petrel. Black, vk^ith a broad white ring 



round the base of the tail ; rerniges 22, second 



primary longest, first equal to fourth ; tail slightly 



rounded. 

 396. leucorrhoa, 7 in. Fork-tailed Petrel. Black, with a white bar 



on upper base of tail ; tail much forked. 



The Stormy Petrel — Dimensions, Cn ; Eggs Gn — is the smallest web-footed bird. In its 

 flight it follows the curves of the waves and pats them as it feeds. Its call is " kekerek-ee." 

 Its nest is in a hole in a cliff or wall, and consists of a few blades of grass or plant stalks. It 

 contains but one egg. 



The Fork-tailed Petrel — Dimensions, Fo ; Ego;s Ib— is a straggler, breeding no nearer 

 than St. Kilda, Its call is " peer wit," Its nest is in a burrow, and it is made of a few blades 

 of grass and a scrap of moss, and contains but one ^%^. 



Puffinus. Plate xxxiii. PROCELLARIIDM. 



394. obscurust II in. Dusky Shearwater. All white below ; remiges 



30 ; first primary longest. 

 393. anglorunif 14 in. Manx Shearwater. Breast white ; lower breast 



grey. 

 392. griseus^ 18 in. SooTY SHEARWATER. All brown below. 



39L majort 19 in. GREAT Shearwater. White below, but thighs 



and lower breast tinged with brown ; hind toe 



modified into, or replaced by, a sort of spur. 



