214 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
confirmed by every worker on African birds; Asiatic birds, which were larger, 
were left unnamed and do not seem to have been studied since ; Australian birds, 
which were found to be lighter and smaller, were renamed P. c. christiani Mathews, 
as Gould named Podiceps australis as being larger and darker, which are the 
characteristics of the New Zealand race, which should be called P. c. australis Gould. 
There may be two races in New Zealand, and it is probable that series in Australia 
would show differences. 
Genus POLIOCEPHALUS. 
Poliocephalus Selby, Cat. Gen. Subgen. Types Aves, p. 47, 1840. Type (by original 
designation) : Podiceps poliocephalus Jardine and Selby. 
Dasyptilus Swainson, Classif. Birds, Vol. II., p. 369, July Ist, 1837. Type (by original 
designation): P. poliocephalus Jardine and Selby. 
Not Wagler, Abhandl. Ak. Wiss. Miinch., Vol. II., p. 502, 1832. 
Tachybaptus Reichenbach, Nat. Syst. Végel, p. m1., 1852 (? 1853). Type (by monotypy) : 
Colymbus minor Gmelin = C. ruficollis Vroeg. 
Colymbetes Heine und Reichenow, Nomencl. Mus. Hein., p. 364, (pref. Sept.) 1890: New 
name for Poliocephalus Selby. 
Not of Schellenberg, Helvet. Entom., Vol. II., p. 188, 1806. 
Smallest Grebes with short stout bills, short wings, no tail and large legs and 
feet. The billis stout, about the length of the head, the culmen almost straight, the 
ridge a little arched, the tip sharp, not decurved ; a well-marked nasal groove 
extends about half the length of the culmen, the nostrils pervious linear small slits, 
about midway between the ridge and the edge of the mandible, in the anterior 
portion of the groove ; the depth of the bill at the base is about one-third the length 
and the under mandible is about as strong as the upper; the strong rami are not 
grooved and coalesce to form a strongly angulated gonys, which shows the separate 
rami ; the interramal space is narrow and unfeathered. The wings are very short, 
the first and second a little scalloped on the inner webs and practically subequal, 
the second probably the longest, the secondaries as long as the primaries. Tail 
showing no differentiated tail-feathers. Feet and legs as in preceding, the serrations 
on the posterior ridge of the tarsus much more prominent and stronger, sometimes 
a double row being present. The lobes of the toes are connected a little different 
at their bases, the claws more pectinate, sometimes all the claws showing strong 
pectinations. 
Coloration dark brown above, head and neck dark with colour markings or 
white tips, abdomen white. 
148. Poliocephalus ruficollis—BLACK-THROATED GREBE. 
[Colymbus ruficollis Vroeg, ex Pallas MS., Cat. Rais. d’Ois., Adumb., p. 6, (before Sept. 22nd) 
1764; Holland, Europe. Extra-limital ] 
Gould, Vol. VII., pl. 81 (pt. x1.), Sept. Ist, 1843. Mathews, Vol. I., pt. 5, pl. 62, Oct. 31st, 
1911. 
Podiceps novehollandiew Stephens, in Shaw’s Gen. Zool., Vol. XIII., pt. 1., p. 18, Feb. 18th, 
1826: New South Wales, based on Latham’s description of Watling drawing No. 263. 
poane# gularis Gould, Synops. Birds Austr., pt. 1., pl. 19, Jan. Ist, 1837: New South 
ales. 
Podiceps fluviatilis cartere Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 197, Jan. 31st, 1912: 
Broome Hill, South-west Australia. 
Podiceps fluviatilis parryi Mathews, ib. : Parry’s Creek, North-west Australia. 
DistTrRiBuTiIon.—Australia generally and Tasmania. 
Adult male, breeding —Upper-surface dark brown, with a tinge of grey on the 
wings ; wing-coverts like the back ; bastard-wing and primary-coverts dark brown ; 
primary-quills dark brown, white at base which increases in extent towards the 
