PODICEPS MINOR.
Little Grebe or Da bo hick.
Cofymbtts minor, Gmel. edit. Linn. Syst. Nat., tom. i. p. 591.
— ffebridicus, Gmel. edit. Linn. Syst. Nat., tom. i. p. 594.
Podiceps minor, Penn. Brit. Zool., vol. ii. p. 137.
Ilehridicus, Penn. Brit. Zool., vol. ii. p. 138.
-----------ßuviatilis, Briss. Om., vol. vi. p. 59.
Every one must be familiar with the name of Dabebiek; for whore <* the person who »•*« lived a country-Ufe
that has not heard it applied to the least <>t the British Grebes - the mimr ? ttu- Haionri home uf
this well-known bird is the water; and its whole structure is admirably adapted tor .... m food and
dwelling beneath the surface, its leaden body, impenetrable plumage, its 3p»rk>«-r f«.w a r a v * AaateMMt u»r*n
being all especially suiu-d fo rid» mode »f life, With us it is a stationary turd . m *
or winter, it wayabn^a he found, merely changing from place to place, ritlwr from .iSfo of ,-fo nmimin
forcing it to leave the ice-covered waters for running rivers, or the approaching » t io it *f -fo,,;
it to retire to the reedy nooks o f meres and small ponds. To oBawrati' (fee nortion » <» 9k Stilish hlfiml
in which the bird may he sought for would be superfluous, since it is universally dhiueeted ; Uti k
he less common in Scotland titan m England ; still it is found as far north as rite O r b r t* ;
I believe, as equally abundant its in England. In like manner the Dahchick is to he seen m all of sfo
Continent; hut I suspect that its European range, is limited in a northerly direction; to? although h -
an inhabitant o f Sweden and Norway, countries further north will not be congenial to it. Strange to -ay.
it is stated to he less .common in Holland than in Switzerland. I have hut little doubt that the tame »¡^ .■
also extends its range to India, China, and Japan, at all events. I have at this moment before me (irtb. fn*n
all those countries, which are so like our bird that it would be difficult to separate them; specimen* tm *
China and Japan, carrying the red o f the neck and the dark upper plumage, have, however, their fejnmrtto <?„««•»
silvery than our bird. In the northern parts of Africa the Dahchick cemmlv found: and it wvoM h r
difficult to point out, at least from dried skins, wherein the Little Orri* from Sooth Africa d iffe r» th e tag«*
has, however, been regarded as distinct by Bonaparte, who ha* naggmcd to h »He sprrdir mm* of ( imrmiirir
The Australian bird, to which I have given the name o f msfrwth, * »«riotifoedL ddfmsiJ
I shall now proceed to describe the state* o f pUm*«w «nmr««! by <V liMwhwk 4Htal«lM MSMNb
the year. In winter, when it is most usually seen, its dress -is tigh* ojbvC'jpcey .ritnm «ml
quite the opposite of that with which it is clothed fo summer. So ffiftMMffcihh k- «Mb*««)*, -W*»
persons might be induced to regard them a* distinct bird*: tW gftttllHdtaMt, haute«**
these change«, and has wo doubt o f Husk identity:. The inptwri jr bilndi»« (bo«, m hcrtr trum. » tib-nNir .
the feather* m this .»tote aie r-;0i «ttltv . «gS> jj|g , * fo vrn ... ami -„-.win-ot.sit f i t
general hue o f the had* i t the tinta. j* ?h<? k t
front o f the nedk, which « v of sW y$efet*t .rfo'sto»», »he Ml »* ktaeht aud 4 » Ki ; j t k t e ¿at*.« is forge!v
developed and of a beautiful greenish td k » . The be*!, the* «ft m
is often heard; its nest is made, and thefoioaie is «effort»*«*; t in unit <<f toteUfcsiite« F to Ih h ik k i .->:
this particular season is extremely «h;v, »fo:
frequently known «be lhiht'htck to wfoe« vuiisi for atmn s
their desire apparently beitig to ?-* the soir occapM^K >4‘ •> «
insect food for themselves ami «.Wir nroget»^ . *urts ^ mere w.ster-h«!**- »«»I. Htwever.
supplied with aquatic plants. *t«o thrir »<dc» far»»-fore witb reed»,, ■'.rutifof :
pendently o f such situations, they 'cror* to the sdhr» •->
The month o f April is the breeding-sea*»»*!; and sdtltougb the iiest o. freqot'ndv placed in m export'd sdttati'm
and always on the surface of the water, much artifice | | displayed by (W bird in this part o f it- ccutuxnv ■
little of its floating nursery is seen abov> the water, and so similar is it to the surrounding vi-ge?ation. ■ f
it may and doubtless often is passed hy wirhout being discovered. The ««ateruis (.vnniv»-«»»« s hi - r.
are weeds and aquatic plants carefully heaped together in a rounded form . it is verv brgi
so constantly added to, that a considerable portion of it becomes snbmerged, at tb< same turn* it i- ?»*t
buoyant to admit o f its saucer-like hollow top being always above the surface: in tfo-. >v
six eggs are laid. The bird, always most alert, is still more so now . aod never or scarcety
near examination of the nest-making or o f a view o f the eggs ft« fo'-'simWe sit«3
with the aid tsf a tele«Ci>pe. the pr?K**ss nwv h*‘ watched ; ¡;