HOARY-HEADED GREBE. 215 
inner ones ; secondaries white, with a shade of brown on the outer webs ; the long 
innermost secondaries brown with white bases ; head black, glossed with green ; 
a line of chestnut from behind the eye which widens out on the sides of the neck ; 
throat patch glossy black ; fore-neck rusty-brown ; feathers of the breast tipped 
with dark brown, more intensely on the sides, giving a speckled appearance ; 
remainder of the under-surface pearly-white, becoming dusky on the sides of the 
body and sides of vent; axillaries and under wing-coverts pure white ; bill black, 
tip pearly-white ; iris orange, orbits yellow ; feet bluish-grey. Total length 250 mm.; 
culmen 23, wing 110, tarsus 34. 
Adult female, breeding.—Similar to the above. 
Adult male in winter —Differs from the adult in breeding-plumage in having 
the top of the head, hind-neck, back, and wings dark ashy-grey ; the throat pure 
white, a tinge of buff on the sides of the neck, upper-breast and sides of body, lower 
flanks rufous-buff, the feathers tipped with grey ; tips of primaries grey. 
Adult female in winter.—Similar to the above. 
Immature female—Similar to the adult in winter, but differs in having longi- 
tudinal lines of brown and white on the sides of the head and neck ; fore-head and 
a streak over the eye brown ; a white line above the eye which crosses the middle 
of the crown, where it is sandy-buff, and extends in a narrow streak on to the sides 
oi the neck ; a white spot on each side of the nape; a very narrow line of white 
from the hinder part of the eye, which joins the one on the side of the crown; a 
brown streak from behind the eye to the sides of the neck ; a white line from the 
hinder part of the eye, which unites with another on the cheeks and extends to the 
sides of the neck enclosing a patch of brown at the gape, which extends in a narrow 
line along the sides of the face ; a less distinct line of brown skirting the sides of the 
throat and extending backwards to the sides of the neck. 
Nestling in down.—Upper-surface black, with numerous narrow lines of buffish- 
white which run horizontally from the hind-neck to the end of the body ; under- 
surface white ; crown of head and hind-neck black, as also two streaks on the sides 
of the neck and another on the fore-neck ; a small chestnut patch on the middle 
of the crown; a rufous and white V-shaped line from the fore-part of the crown 
to the sides of the nape ; throat white, with three irregular lines of black running 
longitudinally on to the fore-neck. 
Nest.—Constructed of rushes, weeds, etc., low down in the water, and always 
damp, and warmed by fermentation. Dimensions 12 in. by 6 to 12 deep; egg 
cavity 6 in. by 2} deep. 
Hggs.—Clutch, five to eight ; usually nest-stained, which on being scraped off 
reveals a pale green ground-colour; axis 31-38, diameter 24-26. 
Breeding-season.—September to February. 
Distribution and forms.—Through Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, and 
many subspecies may be recognised. The extra-limital forms have not been 
suificiently studied to limit the subspecies, but in Australia three fairly recognisable 
races are easily seen : Poliocephalus ruficollis novehollandie (Stephens) from Eastern 
Australia ; Poliocephalus ruficollis cartere (Mathews) from South-west Australia, 
of darker coloration above and with a shorter thicker bill; and Poliocephalus 
ruficollis parryt Mathews from North-west Australia, of lighter coloration than the 
typical race and with a more slender bill. 
149. Poliocephalus poliocephalus.—HOARY-HEADED GREBE. 
Gould, Vol. VIT., pl. 82 (pt. xit.), Sept. 1st, 1843. Mathews, Vol. I., pt. 5, pl. 63, Oct. 31st, 
1911. . 
Podiceps poliocephalus Jardine and Selby, Illustr. Ornith., Vol. I., pt. 1, pl. 13, Feb. 1827: 
New South Wales. 
