NATATORES. 511 



Genus PODICEPS, Latham. 



The Great Crested Grebe of Europe and the Great Tippet- 

 Grebe of Australia are both typical members of the genus 

 Podiceps, of which I believe other species are found in 

 America, and this is the case with most of the other Austra- 

 lian species. 



Sp. 665. PODICEPS AUSTRALIS, Gould. 

 Australian Tippet-Grebe. 



Podiceps australis, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part xii. p. 135. 

 Ka-lee, Aborigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia. 

 Diver of the Colonists. * 



Podiceps australis, Gould, Birds of Australia, foL, vol. vii. pi. 80. 



This beautiful species of Grebe, which differs but little from 

 the Podiceps cristatus of Europe, inhabits the inland waters of 

 Tasmania, and the whole of the southern portions of the con- 

 tinent of Australia, wherever localities occur favourable to its 

 existence. It gives a decided preference to those broad mere- 

 like sheets of water, whose depth is not too great for the 

 growth of rushes and other aquatic plants, among which it 

 constructs its floating nest and rears its progeny. It not 

 only dives extremely well, but stems the billows with amazing 

 power ; and I have frequently observed it on the upper part 

 of the Derwent, swimming against wind and tide in a manner 

 that truly surprised me. 



The beautiful frill which adorns the neck of the P. australis 

 is acquired in the spring, worn during the breeding-season, 

 and then cast off, when the face becomes of a greyish white, 

 or similar in colour to the other part of the neck. 



The sexes are at all times alike in plumage ; both have the 

 frill of the neck to an equal extent, but the female is gene- 

 rally the smallest in size. 



Crown of the head and occipital tufts black ; frill black at 



