384 BIRDS OF THE NEW YORK CITY REGION 



c. HYPOTHETICAL LIST 



WESTERN GREBE (dZchmophorus occidentalis) 

 Messrs. Rogers, Hix, and Fleischer report a most satis- 

 factory identification of a bird of this species at Long Beach, 

 May 21, 1916. It was just outside the surf, and all conditions 

 of observation were exceptionally favorable. They were all 

 well acquainted with the HolboelFs Grebe in life, and Mr. 

 Rogers had had field experience with the Great-crested 

 Grebe of Europe. The great size, long, swan-like neck and 

 black and white coloration were all observed at leisure. It 

 should also be noted that a HolboelFs Grebe at this date 

 would be unprecedented, and would have been in breeding 

 plumage. There seems no reason to doubt the identification 

 of a field ornithologist of such wide and lengthy experience as 

 Mr. Rogers, and the occurrence is worthy of serious considera- 

 tion. This Grebe, however, has never occurred on the At- 

 lantic seaboard, and in such cases I follow Mr. Brewster's 

 principle in considering that the personal opinion of observers 

 and author had better be sustained by a specimen. Observa- 

 tions, therefore, of the Western Grebe on Long Island must 

 be considered hypothetical, no matter how probable, until a 

 specimen is collected. 



GREAT AUK (Plautus impennis ) 



Singleton Mitchell in a " Partial Catalogue of the Birds 

 of New York," made at Plandome, Long Island, and dated 

 July 5, 1803, reports the "Penguin" in his list of 123 species, 

 a name by which the Great Auk was generally known in 

 colonial times. The existence of this excessively rare pam- 

 phlet was unknown to previous writers on New York State 

 birds. The author was not a scientist, however, only Eng- 

 lish names were given, some of which are not positively iden- 

 tifiable; and there are no remarks or annotations of any kind. 

 This report, therefore, cannot be regarded as definitely estab- 



