290 GREBE. 



body, reddifh brown ; very pale on the rump : fides of the head 



and fore part of the neck yellowifh grey* : chin the fame, but 



paler : breaft and belly white, mottled with afh-colour and red : 



thighs and vent grey: legs dirty green. Male and female much 



alike, and both vary according to the age, as in other fpecies. 



Place and This fpecies frequents the fame places with the other Grebes, 



Manners. .. ^ ' 



but is infinitely more common, few frefh waters being without it. 



It makes a large neft, a foot or more in thicknefs, in the water, 



compofed of grafs and other water plants, and lays five or fix 



dirty yellowifh white eggs ; the neft is fo placed in the water that 



it is conftantly kept wet, which feems eiTential to the hatching 



of the young brood both of this and other fpecies of the genus. 



The food is fijh, water infecls, and plants. It is an admirable 



diver, and feems to make way under the water at a very great rate, 



arifing at an inconceivable diftance from the place it plunges in 



at ; for the moft part, considerably beyond the length of gunfhot f . 



We believe this bird to be pretty frequent on the old continent ; 



it is likewife found common at Hudfon's Bay in America, where it 



is called Dijhifiet feekeep^. In England called by the various 



names of Didapper, Dipper, Loon, and Debchick. 



, IO - Le Caftagneux des Philippines, Bi.f. Oif. vi. p. 246.— PL Enl. 945. 



Var. A: 



Description. *"]p K I S is rather larger than the little Grebe, and differs from 

 it in a few particulars. The upper parts are brown, as in that 



• In old birds the cheeks are of a bright bay. 



+ If the poffibility of flying wider 'water be allowed, no bird of this kingdom 

 claims the epithet more than the little Grebe. By fome it is faid to be able to 

 flay under water for a quarter of an hour. — Salerne Orn. p. 377. 



J Mr. Hutchins. 



bird, 



