GREAT CRESTED GREBE. Class II. 



line, and above that a white one : the hind part of 

 the neck, and the back are of a footy hue: the 

 rump, for it wants a tail, is covered with long foft 

 down. 



The covert feathers on the fecond and third joints 

 of the wing, and the under coverts are white : all 

 the other wing feathers, except the fecondaries, are 

 dufky, thofe being white : the bread and belly are 

 of a mod beautiful filvery white, glofiy as fattin, 

 and equal in elegance to thofe of the Grebe of Ge- 

 neva - s and are applied to the fame ufes : the plu- 

 mage under the wings is dufky, blended -with tawny : 

 the outfide of the legs, and the bottom of the feet 

 are dufky : the infide of the legs, and the toes 

 of a pale green. 



Thefe birds frequent the Meres of ShropjJjire and 

 Chejhire^ where they breed ; and in the great Eafi 

 Fen in Lincoln/hire^ where they are called Gaunts. 

 Their fkins are made into tippets, which are 

 fold at as high a price as thofe that come from Ge- 

 neva. 



This fpecies lays four eggs, white, and of the 

 fize of thofe of a pigeon ; the neft is formed of the 

 roots of bugbane, ftalks of water lilly, pond weed 

 and water violet, floating independent among the 

 reeds and flags -, the water penetrates it, and the 

 bird fits and hatches the eo-gs in that wet conditi- 



DO 



on ; the neft is fometimes blown from among the 

 flags into the middle of the water : in thefe cir- 

 cumftances, the fable of the Halcyon's neft, its 



fiuclivaga 



