THE RED-NECKED GREBE. 457 



acquired by complete moult of body, tail, innermost secondaries 

 and innermost greater coverts but not rest of wing Dec. to May 

 and often summer feathers still growing June. Winter. — Fore- 

 head, crown (no tufts) and back of neck dark grey-brown ; rest of 

 upper -parts darker brown (but paler than summer) and feathers 

 edged brown-grey ; under and behind eye finely mottled grey- 

 brown ; rest of sides of head, chin and upper -throat white ; lower- 

 throat and sides of neck brown, feathers lightly tipped whitish ; 

 rest of under-parts silky-white, feathers on sides of body with some 

 small subterminal black-brown dots and marks, those of flanks 

 with larger spots or tips of black-brown (considerably less marked 

 than in summer) ; wings as in summer but innermost secondaries 



The Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps g. griseigena). Adult, winter. 



and greater coverts not quite so black. This plumage is acquired 

 by complete moult probably as in P. cristatus but autumn moulting 

 material is insufficient to make a definite statement possible. 



Nestling. — Head and neck striped as in Great Crested Grebe 

 but black on each side of crown wider and white patch in centre of 

 back of crown reduced to a stripe ; light stripes on neck dull huffish 

 and those down centre of back of neck narrowed and obscured by 

 black and those on upper-mantle very narrow and scarcely notice- 

 able ; rest of upper -parts, base of throat, sides of body, flanks and 

 vent brown-black unstriped ; centre of breast and belly white ; 

 black stripes down sides of neck broken about middle and two 

 stripes down sides of lower -throat joining and forming V (not 

 inverted as in Great Crested Grebe). 



Juvenile. — Resembles adult summer but upper-parts with 

 slightly more brownish tinge ; sides of head, chin and upper -throat 

 dull huffish-white with two rather broad and fairly well defined 

 brown-black stripes behind eye, a patch at base of under mandible 

 and varying amount of brown-black mottling on chin and upper- 

 throat ; rest of throat to base and sides of neck buffish -chestnut 

 varying in depth but never so dark and rich as in adult ; under- 

 parts not so silky -white as adult and flanks paler brown, partially 

 concealed spots on upper-breast and sides of body paler and not so 

 distinct as in adult ; wings as adult but white secondaries often 

 more mottled with brown at tips. 



