land floats on the surface of the water. When once alarmed
it dive? to a great distance* and on éóiïning to the surface
immediately talies wing. The young of this bird, known' by
the name of the Dusky Grebe, is very rare in both" countries.
I have seen .very few, and these, only in spring, on the lakes
near to, or communicating with, the; sea. Two or three;, pairs
used to frequent the Loch of Stenness,' in Jhe neighbourhood
-of Stromness.”
—Mr. Proctor, subcurator of the Durham University Museum,
visited Iceland in the summer óf 1837,-and observed
that “ this bird frequents the.- fresh waters there, , and » breeds
amidst the reeds and other rank herbage. The .nest is large,
and floats on the- surfafce of the Water, with which itjifises^ and
falls. I t is composed of a mass of reeds and other aquatic
plants.; The^eggs vary in -number from two' to four,- and .are,
when just laid,.. of a bluish-white ; bu t they sgonr become
stained by tfle materials of whigh&ithe'hesf-isr'cdmposed.
size of the egg is one inch and three-quarters long}, by one
inch; and aUe.., quarter in breadtbf* The. y#ing birds,, when
first hatched, ; are covered with grey?c©lóured down. : j^T.ö
foonjei does'- the old bird perèeive danger- -ntfiin any intruder,'
than.she. instantly dive% and emerges at thirty o r forty yards'*
distance.»;; One day during my.abjourn in IceEandj hawing
observed one of these: birds dive from its nest,1: 1 placed my-*'
self with m*f .gun ah. my shoulder, ^waiting aJts. re-appearance/
As soon as it; emerged I fired and killed it, and?was surprised
to see; twoj < young ’onès, which it ...seems had been- concealed
beneath the wings of the parent bird, dro|) upon the waiter.
I afterwards shot, several other birds-of this species, all .of
which dived with their young Under their wingsi The»young
were placed with their heads towards the.tail, and their bills
resting on-the; back of the-pafcent bird.”
. M. Nilsson says this specien is j not very common in
Sweden, but breeds there in the’ reedy parts , of shallow
waters. M. Tèmmin'ck says it is rare in Holland, but more.
common in Germany and the eastern parts of Europe ; it is
found also in Francè; Switzerland, Provence, and Italy, but
only in winter, and that rarely* I t is said to have been
found in the vicinity of the Caspian Sea.
-. This species" alscr inhabits North America. The bird
figured by Edwards, plate 145, was sent from Hudson’s Bay,
where, Pennant says, i t . appears on the fresh waters in June,
and lays its egg? among the Aquatic plants* Dr. Richardson
says it . is "very common in' the“ Pur-countries, frequenting1
-every lake with grassy borders* The spedies is included
also- in. some -of ther histories of the birds of the United
States.
Mr* Morgan’s bird killed in May, in the plumage of the
brbeding-season,' has the beak black,, both.1 mandibles of hom-
Coloured-white- at the tip ; forehead and crown black; irides
vërmihon-red; from the?-base of the upper mandible to the
eye, aind from thence for the space of an inch behind the
eye, the feathers are of *a rich yellowish-chestnut, the latter
elongated forming a tu f t; from the chin O 7 ' the feathers on the
throat, cheeks,, and sides of the neck, are also elongated,
forming $ ruff of rich dark brown ; back of the neck, and all
jfe u p p e r' surface of the body dark brown; thé secondaries
of thé wings alone’ are white, but scarcely seen unless the
wings are extended; neck in front rich reddish-chestnut, becoming
rather darken towards the bottom ; breast and belly
shining silvery-white ; sides under» thé wings!, and the flanks
dusky, mixed with some chestnut streaks ; legs and toes dark
greenish-brown ouMAe^ varied with yellowish-green on the
edges and inner surface. The whole length of the bird
rather more than thirteen inches. From the carpal joint to
the end of the wing five inches and a half.
In winter the beak and irides as described in summer;
the upper part* of the head, dark brown ; the lower part with
the chin pure white, a line from the gape to the eye, and
from thence along the lower edge of the ear-coverts, being