THE SLAVONIAN GREBE. 453 



Min. : 46.5x39 and 55.3x34 mm. Breeding -season. — Usually 

 from May onwards, occasionally April to July and at times Aug. 

 or Sept. Incubation. — By both, sexes. Period about four weeks. 

 Occasionally double brooded. 



Pood. — Mainly small fish of various kinds, but also insects, especi- 

 ally coleoptera (Dytiscus, Donacia, etc.) ; also Naucoris cimicoides ; 

 mollusca (small freshwater species) ; and newts. Feathers are 

 frequently found in stomach in considerable quantities and occa- 

 sionally Gammarus, as well as remains of vegetable matter. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Resident. During last thirty or 

 forty years breeding -range has been extending. Now nests many 

 suitable inland waters throughout England (more rarely extreme 

 south-west and north) ; a few places Wales ; a good many places 

 Scotland south of Grampians, especially in faunal areas of Clyde, 

 Forth, and Tay, and many places in Ireland. To mainland Scotland, 

 north of Grampians, as well as Orkneys, Shetlands, and I. Hebrides 

 rare or uncommon visitor (not recorded breeding except in Moray 

 1913 and possibly 1912) and unrecorded 0. Hebrides. In winter 

 general movement to tidal waters and coasts. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Nesting in Europe from lat. 60° north 

 to Mediterranean and north Africa, and throughout northern and 

 central Asia to China and Japan. Northern birds migratory, 

 wintering in Mediterranean and northern India and Africa. Repre- 

 sented by allied races in Africa south of Sahara, Australia and New 

 Zealand. 



PODICEPS AURITUS 



352. Podiceps auritus (L.)— THE SLAVONIAN GREBE. 



Colymbus auritus Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 135 (1758 — Europe 

 and America. Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Podiceps auritus (Linnseus), Yarrell, iv, p. 128 ; Podicipes auritus 

 (Linnaeus), Saunders, p. 721. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Summer. — Fore -he ad, 

 crown and neck black glossed blue ; mantle and scapulars glossy 

 black, feathers narrowly edged grey or greyish ; back brown-black ; 

 rump and tail as mantle but lower tail-feathers white with black 

 tips, sides of rump chestnut, feathers tipped black ; stripe from 

 upper mandible above lores and eye through ear-coverts to nape 

 chestnut, portion from behind eye more golden (feathers very 

 narrow, long and of silky texture) ; sides of head, chin and upper- 

 throat glossy blue -black (feathers of sides of throat long and wedge- 

 shaped forming a tippet, considerably longer than in Black-necked 

 Grebe, but those of crown normal and not elongated as in that 

 species) ; rest of throat and sides of upper-breast chestnut, some 

 feathers adjoining breast tipped white ; breast and belly silky- 

 white ; sides of breast and flanks chestnut, feathers mostly tipped 

 greyish-black and many adjoining breast and belly white with. 



