THE GREAT-GUESTED GREBE. 
179 
Mr. Gatcombe writes, in 1850—“ Specimens of the crested 
grebe are obtained almost every winter in the small bays along the 
shores of Plymouth Sound, especially near the entrance of the river 
Tamar ; but large flocks appeared during severe frosts and strong 
easterly winds many winters ago. They remained off the sea- 
wall, near the Devil's Point, through the months of January and 
Pebruary, and during that time a great many were killed. My 
brother and I alone shot about twenty specimens, all in that state 
of plumage in which they are called the f tippet grebe/ some 
of the younger birds bearing traces of the peculiar dark stripes 
on the cheeks and down the neck. We kept the skins of fifteen, 
intending to have them made into a tippet or muff ; but, owing 
to our not being able to divest them of the thick layers of fat 
covering the skin of the breast, they became so rancid that we 
were ultimately obliged to throw them away. I was much struck 
with a habit the crested grebe had when on the water of suddenly 
erecting and shaking the plumage of the back, just in the man- 
ner of a bird after having charged its plumage with dust. On 
the eve of diving they would invariably sink their bodies deep in 
the water, showing only their long necks and a portion of their 
backs. During very rough weather they kept so near the shore 
that they were often obliged to dive suddenly through the waves 
to prevent their being dashed against the rocks. Many Sclavo- 
nian or dusky grebes were obtained in company with them. I 
have not known either species so plentiful since that time." 
On the subject of feathers contained in the stomach of grebes , 
Dr. Pleming, in his f Philosophy of Zoology/ remarks : — “We 
have found in the stomach of the eared grebe {Podiceps auritus), 
in the month of January, a large ball of its own breast feathers; 
probably pulled off and swallowed to satisfy its hunger" (vol. i. 
p. 316). Further allusion is made to this circumstance in the 
same author's History of British Animals/ where, after referring 
brood being hatched about the last day of May ; two weeks afterwards four eggs were 
found in the nest of the other pair. One of the females which was killed contained 
five eggs nearly of full size, from which circumstance there is no doubt that a second 
brood would have been produced. 
N 2 
