456 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



insects, including diptera (larvae of Tipulidse) and coleoptera (water- 

 beetles) ; Crustacea (shrimps, etc.) and vegetable matter (water- 

 weeds, confervse and in winter sea-weed). 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Resident in small numbers and 

 passage -migrant (early May to mid-June, early Sept. to late Nov.), 

 winter -visitor. A few breed (increasing) in north mainland Scot- 

 land, and some evidence that it has bred elsewhere. Otherwise 

 regular winter -visitor all coasts and occasional inland waters, also 

 has occurred a good many times in summer, chiefly Scotland and 

 Ireland. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Norway, southern Sweden and Oeland, 

 Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Baltic republics, Russia, northern 

 Asia to Transbaikalia and Amur ; also in N. America, Canada and 

 Alaska. On migration and in winter whole Europe and Mediter- 

 ranean, Asia to about 24° and China, America to S. California and 

 Florida. Casual Azores, Greenland, Fseroes, Jan Mayen, Com- 

 mander Islands. 



PODICEPS GRISEIGENA 



353. Podicepsgriseigenagriseigena(Bodd.) — THE RED-NECKED 

 GREBE. 



Colymbus grisegena corr. griseigena Boddaert, Tabl. PL Enl., p. 55 



(1783— Ex Daubenton, PI. Enl. 931. No locality stated. We fixed in 



1912 as the typical locality : France). 



Podiceps ruficollis Latham, Gen. Synops. Suppl., 1, p. 294 (1787 — Ex 



Synops., v, p. 288, Gt. Britain). 



Podiceps griseigena (Boddaert), Yarrell, iv, p. 124 ; Podicipes griseigena 



(Boddaert), Saunders, p. 719. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Summer. — Fore-head, 

 crown, two tufts of elongated feathers on each side of crown black, 

 feathers with white bases ; back of neck black, feathers with 

 chestnut bases ; whole upper -parts brown-black, feathers narrowly 

 edged pale brown ; chin, upper -throat and sides of head uniform 

 grey divided from black of top of head by narrow white line (these 

 grey feathers somewhat longish but not forming a tippet) ; rest of 

 throat, sides of neck and upper-breast rich chestnut with bronzy 

 tinge on breast ; rest of under -parts silky -white more or less spotted 

 blackish, varying number of feathers having subterminal spots or 

 short streaks of brown-black ; feathers of sides of breast and flanks 

 mostly brown-black or with large tips of brown-black and usually 

 with considerable amount of rufous basally ; axillaries and under 

 wing-coverts white ; primaries grey-brown with black shafts ; second- 

 aries mostly white with shafts black basally and outer feathers with 

 varying amount of brown usually confined to outer webs and bases, 

 inner feathers partly brown and white (sometimes tinged rufous), 

 innermost black-brown ; wing-coverts grey-brown except inner- 

 most which are black-brown and upper series of lesser which are 

 white and often tinged rufous on inner feathers. This plumage is 



