KORTII A ME RICA y BIRDS. 



Order PYGOPODES.— The Diving Birds. 



(Page 1) 

 Families. 

 a\ Tail-foalliers wanting. 



Anterior toes lobcd, the nails verj- broad, flat, and with rounded tips. (Suli- 



order Podicipeilcs) Podicipidae. (Page 4.) 



a'. Tail-feathers present, l)ut short. (Suborder Cepplii.) 



b\ Hind toe present Urinatoridae. (Page 6.) 



b'. Hind toe absent Alcidae. (Page 8.) 



Family PODICIPIDAE.— The Grebes. (Page 4.) 



I^est a thick matted platform of rushes, sedges, etc., usually floating upon the 

 surface of the water in grassy or sedgy ponds or marshes. Eggs 2-5, dull white, 

 blui-sh white, or very pale bluish green, usually stained more or less (often quite 

 deeply) with light brown, b}- contact with decomposed vegetable matter. 



Genrra. 



a\ Bill slender, the length of the culinen much more than twice the depth at the 

 base, 

 t". Length of culmcn five or more times as much as greatest depth of the bill; 



neck nearly as long as the body .^chmophorus. (Page 4.) 



V. Length of eulmen less than four times as much as grouiest (le])th of the bill ; 



neck much shorter than the body Colymbus. (Page 5.) 



rt'. Bill verj- stout, the length of the culmcn less than twice as miicli as the greatest 

 depth of the bill Podilymbus. (Page 6.) 



Genus iECHMOPHORUS Coues. (Page 4, pi. L, fig. 1.) 



Species. 



CojiMOX CiiARACTEKS. — Pilcum and cervix slaty black ; rest of upper parts slaty, 

 inner webs of remiges chiefly white; entire lower ])arts, including lower half of 

 head and all of neck except stripe down the cervix, pure satiny white. Downy 

 young: Above uniform brow^nish gray, lighter anteriorh-; lower parts unii'orm white. 



«'. Length 24.00-2!).00 inches; wing 7.45-8.50 (average 8.07); eulmen 2.G0- 

 3.05 (2.78). Eggs 2-5, 2.40 X 1-54. Hab. "Western North America 

 (chieflj- the interior) from Jle.xico and Lower California to Jlanitoba. 



1. JE: occidentalis (Lawii.). Western Grebe. 



n'. Length about 22.00 inches; wing G.70-7.75 (7.31); eulmen 2.10-2.48 (2.25). 



Kgijs 2-5, 2.10x1-41. Jiab. Western North America, chiefly along Pacilic 



(I.) coast — . .^. clarkii (Lawh.). Clark's Grebe. 



