228 
British Birds , 
The Pied-billed Grebe. 
THE 
PIED-BILLED 
GREBE. 
( Podilymbus 
podicipes.) 
This is a widely 
distributed species 
in North and South 
America, and is 
said to have been 
captured on one 
occasion near Weymouth, in January, 
18S1. The Pied-billed Grebe has a 
very thick bill, of a milk-white colour, 
bluish at the tip, and crossed by a 
black band. 
The Rails .— Order Ralliformes. 
The members of this Order are remarkable for their long and slender toes. The 
typical Rails have very slender bodies, and are inhabitants of the marshes. The 
Coots and Moorhens are birds of a stouter build, and are more often seen in the 
open water. All have black downy 
nestlings, very different in appearance 
from the old birds. 
THE 
WATER-RAIL. 
(. Rallus equations.) 
Like all Rails, the 
present species is a 
bird of skulking and 
retiring habits and is 
not often seen. It has a longer bill than 
any of the other British species, and is of an 
olive-brown colour with black streaks on 
the head and back, while the throat and 
under-parts are slaty-grey, with black 
flanks barred with white : the under tail- 
coverts are also barred with black and 
white, and have buff tips. 
The Water-Rail. 
