PIED-BILL DOBCHICK. 259 



breast and flanks, pale rufous, varied with blackish shades upon 

 the thighs. Middle of the belly white. 



Tlie young of the year have the top of the head, nape, and upper 

 parts ashy-brown, slightly tinted with rufous. The throat white. 

 Sides of the neck pale ashy-rufous. Fore part of the neck, top of 

 tlie breast and flanks more or less deeply whitish-rufous. Vent 

 pure white. Lower mandible and the borders of the upper one, 

 yellowish-ash color, the remainder of the bill brown. Iris dark 

 brown. 



Subgenus. — *Hydroka. 



Bill very stout, compressed and curved strongly at the point. 

 Nostrils somewhat rounded. Tarsus robust, shorter than the inner 

 toe. Inner and middle toe united by a membrane beyond the first 

 articulation, the outer and middle one equal in length. Wings very 

 short. — Peculiar to America. 



PIED-BILL DOBCHICK. 



(Podiceps carolinensis, Lath. Bonap. Syn. No. 367. Richard. 

 North. Zool. ii. p. 412. Cohjmhus podiceps, and C. ludovicianus, 

 Gmel. Pied-Bill Dobchick, Catesb. Car. i. pi. 91. [adult]. Buff. 

 PI. Enlum. 943. [young.] Pied-Bill Grebe, Penn. Arct. Zool. No. 

 418. Phil. Museum, No. ... ) 



Sp. Charact. — Bill much shorter than th© head, about 9 lines long^ 

 from the front, greatly compressed and bent at the point ; neck be- 

 neath much colored ; all the quills dusky. — Adult with the feathers 

 of the hind neck somewhat elongated ; chin and throat black ; bill 

 with a black band. Young dull ferruginous on the sides and 

 throat ; chin white ; bill without a band. 



The Pied-Bill Dobchick is an exclusive inhabitant of 

 the North American continent, proceeding north to breed 

 as far as the remote fur countries of upper Canada ; a spe- 



