. Birds of Britain . ys severalmiles to the sea or large loch daily for its food. If the nestbe approached the sitting bird glides off and dives withouta ripple, reappearing again some way ofl. The note is aloud and mournful kark, kark, kakera. In winter the adult is brown on the back, spotted withsmall white spots. The under parts are pure white, andhead and neck, on which the feathers are very downy, aregreyish brown on the crown and nape and white on the chinand throat. In summer the white spots on the back dis-appear ; the crown and nape are slate grey streaked withblack ; the sides of the
. Birds of Britain . ys severalmiles to the sea or large loch daily for its food. If the nestbe approached the sitting bird glides off and dives withouta ripple, reappearing again some way ofl. The note is aloud and mournful kark, kark, kakera. In winter the adult is brown on the back, spotted withsmall white spots. The under parts are pure white, andhead and neck, on which the feathers are very downy, aregreyish brown on the crown and nape and white on the chinand throat. In summer the white spots on the back dis-appear ; the crown and nape are slate grey streaked withblack ; the sides of the head and neck are pale grey and thereis a longitudinal patch of chestnut down the fore-neck. Thesexes are alike in plumage. The young bird in winter maybe distinguished by the spots on the back being longer andtending to form arrow-shaped markings, and the feathersof the vent have narrow brown margins. Length 24 in.;wing 11*2 in. 386 RED-THROATED DIVER Colymbus septentriofialisAdult in sununer (right I. Young (left). The Great Crested GrebeTHE GREAT CRESTED GREBE Podicipes cristatus (Unnasus) In the course of these pages we have often had to lamentthe extermination or decrease of many species, so that it isa real pleasure to have to record that a fine species like thepresent has increased abundantly of late years. This has been largely brought about by very strictprotection, and although still local, there are many placeswhere it is now common, and in Scotland it breeds onseveral lochs as far north as Aberdeenshire. In Irelandalso it nests in several localities. It is practically aresident and may be found with us at all times of the year, butafter the breeding season the majority leave their summerhaunts and may be found in the estuaries and bays alongthe coast. The nest is a large floating mass of decayingvegetation generally well hidden among thick reeds, thoughoccasionally it is placed in the open. The eggs, usually fourin number, are yellowish white when first laid, but s
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