460 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



usually complete Dee., but sometimes still some moult Jan. Crown, 

 mantle and scapulars black with slightly more brownish tinge than 

 in summer, on each side of lower nape a white patch not quite 

 meeting in centre of back of neck, feathers of which have long black 

 tips and white bases ; back black-brown ; sides of rump and tail 

 white, tipped black, ear-coverts browner than crown ; chin, 

 cheeks and upper -throat white ; lower -throat brown, feathers 

 lightly tipped white ; breast and belly silky -white, feathers of 

 sides of breast with subterminal blackish -grey spots, flank-feathers 

 with long black tips, vent brownish, feathers tipped white. 



Nestling (Plate 7). — Upper -parts blackish with light stripes 

 very ill-defined, very narrow greyish stripes on each side of crown 

 and over eye and down back of neck but those on mantle and back 

 scarcely noticeable and much broken and hidden, stripes on sides 

 of head and sides of neck better defined and more prominent but 

 considerably broken and not regular, narrow inverted V-shaped 

 blackish stripe on each side of chin and sometimes narrow short 

 one in centre but usually centre of chin as throat white without 

 stripes ; centre of breast and belly white, sides black with flecks of 

 white on flanks, vent blackish. Bill flesh with two transverse 

 blackish bands across both mandibles. Bare spot on crown and 

 lores bright pink. As feathers grow they push out down which 

 adheres to them as described under Great Crested Grebe, and upper- 

 parts become black-brown sprinkled with greyish -white. 



Juvenile. — Much like adult winter but upper-parts browner 

 black, sides of nape tinged buff, throat paler, flanks not so much 

 marked with black. 



First winter. — Like adult. The juvenile body-plumage is 

 moulted Sept-.Jan. but not wings or wing-coverts. 



Measurements and structure. — £ wing 127-136 mm., tarsus 41— 

 46, bill from feathers 22-25 (12 measured). ? wing 124-132, bill 

 20-24. Primaries : 1st very small and hidden by coverts, 2nd 

 longest, 3rd as long or 1-3 mm. shorter, 4th 3-5 shorter, 5th 8-15 

 shorter, 6th 16-22 shorter ; 2nd to 4th emarginated near tips on 

 outer and inner webs. Bill short, flattish and rather broad at base, 

 pointed and compressed at tip, distal half of upper mandible tilting 

 slightly upwards and gonys sloped sharply upwards. Other structure 

 as in Great Crested Grebe. 



Soft parts. — Bill blue-grey shading to pinkish at base, tip 

 whitish, top of culmen black ; legs and feet greenish- to bluish-grey 

 tinged flesh on lobes, outside of tarsi and underside of toes dark 

 sepia ; iris orange -pink with silvery inner ring round pupil ; bare 

 loral strip brownish -flesh. 



Characters and allied forms. — P. n. gurneyi (S. Africa) is 

 rather paler and smaller and adult usually has rufous lesser 

 wing-coverts, while winter plumage is similar to summer ; P. n. 

 californicus (N. America) has inner primaries without white. 

 Black-necked distinguished from Slavonian Grebe by up-tilted bill 



