Tern [Hydrochelidon hybrida and H. nigra) ; the nests 

 of all these birds were built amongst the water-weeds 

 that almost entirely covered the water, without any 

 attempt at concealment, though, in the case of the 

 present species, the sitting bird very deftly covered her 

 eggs by two plucks at the surrounding weeds before 

 " going below." Some of the Grebes' eggs were fresh, 

 most of them partially incubated, and a few within a 

 day or two of hatching ; the latter were of a rich 

 cinnamon or chocolate colour, and we found specimens 

 varying from that hue through all the gradations of 

 light rust-colour, buff, and pale yellow, to their normal 

 colour of greenish white. I must mention that the 

 water of the little lakes to which I refer was strongly 

 impregnated with iron, and the surrounding land of a 

 rich yellowish red. This species is to be met with 

 during the winter in all the suitable localities of the 

 Mediterranean coasts that I have visited. One of the 

 most remarkable facts that I have noticed in connection 

 with the subject of this article is that a breeding pair 

 may occasionally be found, of which one bird has the 

 crest and ruff or tippet fully developed, whilst its mate 

 remains without any trace of these ornaments. I may 

 add that the great majority of the eggs of this species 

 that I have examined in situ were more or less wet, in 

 some few instances actually lying in water. 



