281 



COLYMBINiE. 



LOONS AND ALLIED SPECIES. 



If the birds commonly known by the name of Divers, 

 or Loons, form a well-defined and easily distinguishable 

 genus, they are also all that we have to make a family of; 

 for they certainly differ, in that extended point of view, from 

 both the Grebes and the Auks, sufficiently to render them 

 members of a separate group of that station, although the 

 smallness of their number might induce a belief of their 

 being with more advantage referable to either of the conter- 

 minous series. As the genus is fully characterized in the 

 following pages, I shall here present only a few distinctive 

 marks. 



The body is elongated, narrow, tapering at both ends ; 

 the neck loiig, but stout ; the head oblong, compressed, nar- 

 roAved anteriorly. The bill is about the length of the head, 

 much compressed, tapering, and pointed ; the mouth of mode- 

 rate width, but expansile ; the tongue long, trigonal, and 



Flo. 77. 



