PODICEPS OCCIDENTALIS. 641 



Family PODICIPIDiE— Grebes. 



PODICEPS OCCIDENTALIS. 

 AVostcrii Grebe. 



Podiceps occidentalism Lawrence, in Baird's Birds N. Am., 1858, 894. — Baird, Cat. 



N. Am. Birds, IS.j!), No. 701.— CouES, Key, 1872, 330; CLeck List, 1873, No. 



COS.— Henshaw, 1875, 488. 

 ^chmophorm occidentaUs, CoUES, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad., 18G2, 229. 

 Podiceps (JEchmophorus) occidentaUs. a. occidentaUs, CouES, Birds N.W., 1874, 



727. 



This large Grebe was very abuudaut in Pyramid Lake, where it 

 appeared to be a permanent resident. The specimen in the collection wa.s 

 found "snow-bound" in the sage-brush near Carson City, being discovered 

 by its tracks in the deep snow, where it had scrambled along for a hundred 

 yards or more. It was headed toward the Carson River, and had evidently 

 come from Washoe Lake, about five miles distant, and becoming exhausted 

 by the long flight had fallen to the ground. Li Pyramid Lake, these Grebes 

 were exceedingly abundant in May, and were constantly in sight from our 

 boat. When fired at with a rifle they would dive at the report, and upon 

 their reappearance generally showed only the head or head and neck above 

 the surface; but they swam so low in the water that we found it exceed- 

 ingly diflicult to kill them; one was shot, however, and was found to agree 

 exactly in colors and other respects with the specimen in our collection.' 



List of specimens, 



402, <J ad.; Carson City, Nevada, January 13, 1808. 20— 40— 8— 5i— 3— 23— (tj 

 — (t). Bill, dull, ratiicT li.i;lit yt'llow, the lower inanilible (lee[)euinf; into orantje termi- 

 nally ; culmen and broad lonfjitndinal S[)ace on the side of the basal two-thirds of tlie 

 lower mandible, dark olive-green, the former nearly black; iris, pure carmine (having 

 niucli tlie appearance of a red ciu'rant), growing nairowly whitish aronml tlic impil; 

 tarsi ami toes, dull olivaceous yellow, the outer side of tlie tarsus and joints of tlie 

 toes nearly black. 



' Tiie sea.sonal changes of plumage, so remarkable in most Grebes, do not manifest 

 them.selves in the species of this gnmp (P. occidentaUs and P. clarLi), the colors and 

 markings being identical in winter and in the breeding si-asou. Even the young do not 

 differ aiipreciably from the adult, as i-» seen from a specimen collected the past sea.sou 

 in Nevada, by Mr. IIen.suaw. In view of these facts, as well as in justice to inqiortaut 

 peculiarities of form, we should now use the generic name .Echindplnnus, i»roi>osed by 

 Dr. CoUES, for this group. 

 41 V u 



