100 PROCEEDINGS OP THE ACADEMY OP 



I have seen Sterna antillarum mihi ex Lesson, (frenata Gamb. argentea Nutt. 

 nee Maxim, minuta Wils. nee L.) from tbe coast of California, and have little 

 doubt that it is found on the Colorado River as well. 



PELECANIDJE. 



(239.) Pelecanus erythrorhynchus Gm. 



Abundant on the Gila and Colorado Rivers. 



It is a question with me whether this species should retain the name above 

 given by Gmelin ; to the exclusion of the very pertinent " trachyrhynchus " 

 Lath. The bill is not red at all, but yellow ; and it is the P.fuscus whose bill 

 really is red. The name thus conveys such an erroneous impression, as should 

 justify its rejection. 



The P.fuscus is essentially a maritime bird, and if found upon the Colorado 

 at all, is probably only a straggler. 



PEA LACRO CORA CIDJE. 



(240.) Graculus dilophus (3w.) Gray. 



Gulf of California and lower Colorado, Cooper. 



COLYMBID2E. 



(241.) Colymbus TORQDATtrs Briinn. 

 Winter resident on the Colorado river. Common. 



(242.) Colymbus pacificus Lawr. 



C. pacificus, Lawrence, Birds N. A. 1858, p. 889. Coues, Syn. Colymbidx 

 N. A. in Pr. A. N. S. Ph. 1861, p. 223. Coues, Newton's Ibis, 1866. 

 Much material additional to that possessed by Mr. Lawrence in 1858, or by 

 myself in 1861, tends to confirm the validity of this species, first described from 

 young specimens. I have since then seen large suites of adult birds, chiefly 

 from tbe interior of Arctic America, and am quite confident that my remarks 

 (1. c.) upon its relations to C. arcticus are pertinent. See also my notes in 

 Newton's Ibis, as above cited. 



PODICIPIDjE. 



(243.) Podiceps (Dytes) cornutus Lath. 

 Colorado River. 



(244.) Podiceps (Proctopus) californicus (Heerm.) Coues. 



Podiceps californicus, Heermann, Pr. A. N. S. Ph. 1854, p. 179. Young 



bird. Lawrence, B. N. A., 1858, p. 896. Young. 

 Podiceps (Proctopus) californicus, Coues, Syn. Podicipidx, in Pr. A. N. S. 

 Ph. 1862, p. 231. (Considers it as =P. auritus ex Americd.) 

 PoDds near Fort Mojave, Colorado River, Cooper. 



The original P. californicus, as characterized by Dr. Heermann, is based upon 

 an immature bird, and its relationships to P. auritus by no means indicated. 

 It was shown in the Proceedings of the Philadelphia Academy for 1862 that 

 the bird is neither more or less than the young of the American auritus; full 

 j'lumaged specimens of which I easily distinguished from tbe European auritus. 

 The name californicus I adopted as obviating the necessity of a new one, al- 

 though Dr. Heermann's diagnosis gives none of the special points which sepa- 

 rate the bird from auritus ; but shall claim the species for my own, from the 

 very different interpretation of it which I have elucidated. 



(245.) Podilymbus podiceps (L.) Lawrence. 

 Colorado River. Abundant. 



[March, 



