16 
EARED GREBE. 
Although I can hoast of but tliis one instance of seeing a 
water-rail's nest, you may be sure they are not uncommon 
here, but these birds live in places where humans can't fol- 
low them : the spaces between the great sedge-tumps look 
nice enough, something like custard with nutmeg grated 
over it, and just as soft. I should add that all birds of this 
species, but more particularly the young ones, have a weak 
and languid flight : great numbers of the birds of the year 
are quite unable to cross the sea, so that when the autum- 
nal or southward migration sets in, we have arrivals of 
water-rails from the north; many of which, as well perhaps 
as the birds bred with us, stay here during the winter. I 
have often killed them when snipe-shooting ; three or four 
of a morning.* 
The Eared Grebe is resident in one locality, Forked 
Pond, a very pretty lake-like piece of water on the Peper- 
harrow estate; a portion of the pond is in the park, and 
here its margin is wooded and picturesque, but towards the 
silk-mills, at the Hammerponds end, it is more exposed. 
On this pond I have observed these rare grebes many 
following seasons, not in great numbers, but two or three 
pairs, and they always keep out in the middle of the pond. 
Mr. Henry Moline has a fine pair, which were probably 
killed at this pond, having been sent to him by the late 
Mr. Howard, of Elsted, but without the requisite informa- 
tion as to locality. 
* The reader is referred to several papers in ' The Zoologist ' touching the 
migration of the water-rail (Zool. 148, 575, 669, 766 and 796), by which it will 
he seen that its migrations are still but imperfectly understood. — E. N. 
