PODicii'KS. 387 



J'orlicipe^ novfr-hollaiitliii , Og\].-Gr:\.nt, (\t. I'.ds. Itril. Mus, V^ol. XX Vf., p. 522 (189.S); Sliarpe, 

 Hand-1. I'.ds, Vol. I., p. 11.". (18'J9). 



Adult MALK, in lirefding plunm^'f. — (.'nn'm/ n,/,,ur iilini-r^ iiflniHiii/ lln> /,,ir^r juirtloit of tin' 

 liiiiil'Wfk. aslnj-hi-mi II, smiif iij lln' I'-nthi-r.-i iil tin- lim-k ii'illi tin/ is/ iiir/ r/ri'i/is/i iniir</iii.< ,■ sii/i'S of rii.tuji 

 i/ii/l ir/iitft ; iip/i'-r irnnj-curerts like f/n Imck, tin- ihrfit (in/i'r /niiHarits i/iirk (ts/i i/liro/vii, flie biis'i iif 

 till' 'timer irdi oj lli<' lliiril jiriinanj irhit,', the ii-]iit>' i ncrriisiiii/ ami Ih,' naliij hrairn ilii-redsim/ mi llic 

 yinaiiiili>i\ until tin tijix nl thr in in rninst inilij nrr nsli i/ hriiirn ; smiinhi rirs irliitf, iiilli ii niirroii- 

 iislnj-hruii-'ii inin-i/iii mi tin- ajiicnl inii-linii of tin- Pntirr ir>-lis- nf must of tin' fpiitln'rs .■ fori'lii'ic/, rriiirn 

 of head, najie ami nji/n'r /mrlioii oj Inml nfck black, jiassim/ into thill tjroiriiish-hlack on the su/en of 

 till' lifHlil and throat, tin' forfliead, croini a ml siil^s of tin- hi ad r.ir. /■.-./ iritli Imnf irliitf hair-like, plniiiea, 

 loiiyer oil thr latter : all tin- nnile.r so r fife dull sd rery-irli it'-, tin- fore-ueek slii/hthf tiin/ed irith ritfmis, 

 the sides oJ th" ho'lij aslnj-iin-ij and jnissim/ into a more pronouncrd ash ii-ij no/ on the loiver jiortion of 

 (he abdomen. Total h-inj'h lO-f iin-lies, niin/ {•{•/, bill <t-f,'i, tarsus l-.f'i. 



Adult FK.MALK. 'Similar in /ilnmai/i to the male. 



Adults of i;OTH SKXKS, in non-lnTedinij; pluiuanp. — Destitute of tin' long n-hite hairdike jil a mes 

 on the top a-nil sniex <</ the head and neek, these parts, as irell as the entire hrnd-neek being ashy-brown, 

 and the feathers on the chin, throat, fire-neck and chest beinij irhite. 



Distribution. — Southern Queensland, New South Wales, X'ictoria, South Australia, Western 

 Australia, North-western Australia, Tasmania. 



(•TTARDINE and Selby orij^inally described and figured this species under the name of 

 T_/ F'odiccps pnlion-pliahis, in their "Illustrations of Ornithology," in 1827, and remarked : — 

 " We have not met with this species in any collection, and can with a considerable degree of 

 confidence assert it to be undescribed. It is a native of New Holland, from whence we received 

 a single specimen some years since, but without any notes regarding; it." 



The range of the Hoary-headed Grebe is more circumscribed than that of the preceding 

 species, although they are often found together in the same localities, being confined chietly to 

 the southern half of the Australian continent; it is likewise found in Tasmania. Among the 

 examples in the Australian Museum Collection are specimens from Narrabeen Lagoon, in the 

 vicinity of Sydney, Boro in the Illawarra District, and Tyndaria in the Western District of 

 New South Wales, St. Kilda near Melbourne, \'ictoria, Port Lincoln in South Australia, 

 Mongup, Salt Ki\er, Western Australia, and the Ouse River, Tasmania. 



In habits, food, nest and eggs the Hoary-headed Grebe cannot be distinguished in any way 

 from the preceding species, and to gue them is merely to repeat what has been written of the 

 Black-throated (jrebe. 



The late Mr. K. H. Bennett, writing in 1886 from Mossgiel in South-western New South 

 Wales, remarked: — '^ Podiccps ucstor is rather plentiful here at times on the swamps, and other 

 wide shallow sheets of water. Like the Musk Duck (Biziura lohda) its journeys are only 

 performed at night, and from the same cause. I have repeatedly tried all I could think of to 

 induce them to fly during the day, but could never succeed. On one occasion I put one in an 

 open iron tank about four feet deep, in which there was about six inches of water, and tried all 

 I could to make it tly, picking it up and throwing it up in the air, but it would not make the 

 slightest attempt even to break its fall, for it would come down like a dead bird. During the 

 day this bird remained in the tank, but shortly after nightfall it disappeared, and it could not 

 have possibly got out without flying. The species breeds here during the months of October 

 and November, and constructs its nest in the top of a Polygonum bush standing in the water. 

 The eggs are usually four or five in number. The young when tired climb on to the female's 

 back, and I have seen the old bird swimming along and carrying the whole family." 



