Aer o nearly with the surrounding herbage, as to pass wholly undetected unless carefully
weed, which i oe they are by no means shy, but at a respectful distance may be watched for
ae ie ae s divine ee their food, or preening their glossy feathers, the rich chestnut crests of the
rr oe er as they shake the moisture from their silky plumage. In winter the Loons
old birds glistening z ae themselves ‘to the vicinity of the sea-coast, where they are not

; le ads altogether, < ¢
ee Bieidop or other saline waters, kept open during the sharpest frosts by the action of
ae not be considered out of place, in a writer on our Tee birds; to question the taste of nS the skin
of this bird for decorative purposes. Fashion, however, will have its sway, even to ate annihilation of so
ornamental a bird as a Grebe. How much is this to be regretted ! How palpably wrong is it that every pair
which annually take up their abode on our great broads and ae on of water should BS harassed
and shot down for this purpose! Yet such is the case. a writer in the ‘ Zoologist, “pe the year 1851, makes
a boast of having collected twenty-nine of these birds in full summer plumage, all in Norfolk. Wholesale
destruction like this almost amounts to extermination: such wicked acts are most reprehensible ;
besides the cruelty, it is killing the goose that lays the golden egg.

for,

“The under surface of the body,” says Mr. Yarrell, “being of a delicate silvery whiteness, and of a
shining silky appearance, one of the names of this well-known bird is that of Satin Grebe ; ane skins, from
their beauty, are in great request for making ladies’ mons, orsmiora frequently, to wu up into narrow.
strips as trimming for pelisses. A good skin sells for six or eight franes on the Continent ; and in the
vicinity of the Lake of Geneva, which is frequented in auiape by these birds, it is usual for sportsmen to
make parties on the lake to obtain specimens by shooting. This sport has been described to me by an
English gentleman who had pursued the amusement.

“A party of four hire a boat, with able rowers, and on a calm day,
smooth, they put off, and look out, with telescopes, for a large Grebe, towards which the men row. On
their approach, the bird dives; and the boatmen pull with vigour in the direction the bird has taken, in
order to be near it when it comes up to the surface to breathe. One of the shooters stations himself in
the bow of the boat, one at the stern, and the others, one on each side, about the middle, in order that one
or the other may be in a position to take the shot as soon as the bird is visible.
the pursuit, when the bird is strong, it frequently comes to the surface of the wa
and has perhaps altered its course; but, a good look-out being ke

when the surface of the lake is

At the commencement of
ter out of shooting-distance,

pt by the shooters at their different posts,
the bird is soon descried, and the rowers again urge the boat in chase; the bird dives again, and is again

pursued, and, on rising, is perhaps shot at, but at too great a distance to be effectual, and the bird dives
again. In this way the chase is kept up for a time: the bird, partly exhausted by the necessity of
maintaining its exertions, and perhaps slightly wounded, is unable to remain so long under water; but,
as the boat is close at hand, the exertion must be continued, and the Grebe still rises and dives again with
so much rapidity that several unsuccessful shots are frequently made. The rowers, from practice, calculating
the length of time the chase has lasted, can tell very nearly,
the oars will bring the boat near the place wher
and counting aloud, the intere

whenever the bird dives, how many strokes of
e it may be expected to rise; and by giving out this notice,
st is kept up throughout the pursuit, till a fortunate shot gives the fatal blow,
when the prize is handed into the boat, and the telescope again put into requisition to find out a new victim.”

Crown of the head and ear-tufts dark olive-brown ; lower part of the frill pure black ; chin and sides
of the face fawn-white, gradually passing beneath into reddish chestnut; a stripe of reddish chestnut also
surmounts the eye; back of the neck, back, and rump blackish brown, most of the feathers having greyish

edges; centre of wir ; but the upper part of the wing and some of the

, as is also the rest of the body, the under surface being very silvery; bill light
horn-colour, excepting the culmen, which is of an olive hue ; irides brilliant crimson, passing, in the corners
of the eye, into rosy white; between the eye and the bill a narrow mark of naked, dark olive-brown skin,
continued over the bill towards the vostrils and on the base of the lower mandible ; immediately below the
bare skin on the lores is a little lengthened tuft of olive-brown feathers; tarsi and outer side of the toes

olive beneath, and dull primrose-yellow at the upper joint in front; inside of the tarsi and toes horny
white, inclining to yellow in parts; nails pale blue.

It gives me sincere pleasure to record m
enabling me to render the
where it annually

ig and primaries the same colour
secondaries are pure white

y thanks to my excellent friend Lord Hill, for his kindness in
: accompanying Plate so perfect as it is. From the extensive lake at Hawkstone,
reeds ‘ ae : : :

eds, he has sent me examples of this Grebe 1D every stage, from youth to maturity.

Teas ]
Neither am I less indebted to the Hon. Rowland Hill: both father and son take a lively interest, not only
in the productions of their own, but of every other country

The Plate represents an old bird, the size of life, with a brood of young ones a day old.