THE SCLAVONIAN GREBE. 
273 
THE SCLAVONIAN GREBE. 
Podiceps cornutus. 
This is the commonest of the Grebes which visit these 
islands, but I had almost overlooked it until lately ; its 
favourite haunts in the neighbourhood in which I resided being 
very seldom visited by me except in summer. It arrives, but 
in very small numbers, in October, leaves after a few days, and 
reappears about April, when it makes a longer stay of a few 
weeks. It is occasionally seen upon fresh water, but seems to 
prefer some quiet inlet of the sea, where it can dive undisturbed 
among the rocks and floating weeds, but for what purpose it is 
difficult to say, seeing that when the bird is shot after having 
been, thus engaged for a considerable time, the stomach merely 
contains vegetable fibres, mud, sand, or feathers. In opening 
this bird, I have usually perceived a peculiar odour, resembling 
that of the bruised plant of Iris fcetidissima. It is very shy 
and watchful, and is capable of remaining submerged for more 
than a minute at a time. As it usually dives when threatened 
with danger, I was not a little surprised when, on one being 
fired at by a lad who was lying concealed among the rocks, it 
merely swam away from the spot, not diving until it had pro- 
ceeded about sixty yards. I also was concealed at the time, 
and observed, by means of a telescope, that the bird did nothing 
more than start slightly and quicken its pace as the shot fell 
around it. On escaping a shot by diving, if the water be deep, 
it swims for a considerable distance beneath the surface, and 
on emerging either dives again or immediately takes wing. 
In shallow water, however, when the weeds interfere with its 
progress, it remains beneath but for a very short time, and then 
rises on wing. 
Those which are seen in May — and they sometimes remain 
until the end of that month — are nearly always pairs, and 
then, instead of industriously diving among the shallow bays 
and inlets, they idle away their time in deep water.. I have 
s. 
