THE LITTLE GREBE. 463 



Whole upper-parts brown with more or less admixture of black, 

 not so glossy as in summer and back of neck black-brown, sides of 

 rump and tail with admixture of white and some buff ; chin white 

 with often some black feathers intermixed ; under eye, ear-coverts, 

 sides of neck and throat brown-buff with admixture of chestnut 

 (varying number of new black feathers on chin and chestnut ones on 

 throat and sides of neck are grown in autumn) ; base of throat and 

 sides of upper-breast buff-brown ; flanks buff -brown, some feathers 

 with blackish tips and often some rufous on lower -flanks ; rest of 

 breast and belly silky- white with some blackish or brown sub- 

 terminal marks ; vent grey -brown ; wings as summer. N.B. — 

 Some melanistic examples in summer are almost black on under - 

 parts and have little chestnut and mostly black on sides of neck 

 and throat, in winter throat black-brown and under -parts much 

 mottled black-brown. 



Nestling (Plate 7). — Fore-part of crown grey- white ; rest of 

 upper -parts and neck black-brown, narrow stripe over eye rufous- 

 buff, stripe behind eye, small patch on each side of base of crown 

 and on ear-coverts greyish-white ; two stripes down chin and 

 throat pale buff (whitish on chin) divided by narrow black line ; 

 neck and upper-parts striped with rufous-buff in much same 

 pattern as Great Crested Grebe but rufous stripes narrow and black 

 predominating especially on neck ; sides of breast and belly and 

 vent black and centre of under -parts white. Bill with a black band 

 near base going only half across lower mandible. 



Juvenile. — Upper-parts black-brown much as adult winter, 

 on each side of back of crown a few rufous feathers and on back of 

 neck some white feathers ; cheeks, behind eye and sides of neck 

 dark brown and buff -brown (neck sometimes with some rufous-buff) 

 with irregular patches and streaks of white ; chin dull white often 

 mottled brown ; throat extending on to upper-breast buff-brown ; 

 sides of breast and flanks buff -brown, shafts and tips of feathers 

 blackish ; vent blackish-grey ; rest of under -parts silky -white 

 often with some faint brown marks ; wing-feathers and upper and 

 under wing-coverts as adult. 



First winter. — Whole upper -parts browner not so blackish as 

 adult winter or juvenile ; from base of upper mandible, under eye, 

 ear-coverts, sides of neck, throat and upper -breast buff-brown 

 with no rufous feathers ; chin white ; sides of breast and flanks 

 buff -brown as juvenile, tips of feathers and shafts blackish ; rest of 

 under -parts silky-white with no black or brown. The juvenile 

 body - plumage and tail are moulted July-Dec. N.B. — Period 

 varies apparently according to time of hatching as some are still in 

 juvenile plumage in Dec. while others are in first winter in Sept. 

 First summer. — Appears to moult rather later than adult but seems 

 to be like it when fully moulted except that wing-feathers become 

 paler brown and under-parts have perhaps less black, though of 

 this I cannot be sure. 



Measurements and structure. — <J wing 96 (one 90)-104 mm., 



