PODICEP5. 707 



Male. A black patch with green reflections from the base of the bill extend- 

 ing round the eye; head white, occiput with a longitudinal black patch 

 lescending down the back of the neck ; chin, throat, neck, breast (except two 

 rescentic black bands) and lower parts white ; flanks and thigh coverts 

 rhite, with dark zigzag transverse striae; back black; greater wing coverts 

 glossy black, tipped with white ; lesser wing coverts partly white ; primaries 

 lusky black ; secondaries glossy black, edged narrowly and tipped with white, 

 )rming two narrow bands across the wing; tertiaries leaden grey ; upper tail 

 :overts and tail greyish ash; under tail coverts white ; bill light plumbeous 

 rith a bluish tinge ; irides reddish brown ; legs and feet plumbeous. 



Length, 17 to 18 inches; wing 7-55 to 8-5 ; tail 3-37 to 3*9; bill 1-5 to r6. 



The female has the head, crown, nape and hind neck reddish chestnut 

 >rown ; sides of the neck white ; crest short ; back, upper tail coverts and 

 iil deep ashy grey ; chin and throat white ; breast greyish white ; abdomen 

 rhite ; flanks grey ; wings as in the male, but the dark parts grey instead of 

 >lack. 



Length.- 16 to 17 inches; wing 7*5 to 7*75 ; tail 3 to 3*2 ; bill at front 1-2 

 1'4 



Hab. Sind, Persia, Afghanistan, Punjab, Oudh, N.-W. Provinces, and North 

 Guzerat. A winter visitant to India, arriving in Sind and the Punjab about 

 the last week in October. The Smew is a shy and wary bird, taking to flight 

 with great readiness. Smews are gregarious and are always to be found in 

 flocks of from 10 to 2O or 30, usually in deep water on the Indus and other 

 large rivers. Hume says " They are difficult to approach. They keep in 

 deep water, far away from any cover, and you can only shoot them from a 

 boat ; they can swim faster than any ordinary native boat can be propelled, and 

 are always on the alert." They feed on fish and Crustacea chiefly. 



Family, PODICIPID^E. 



Tarsus compressed ; primaries short ; feet lobed ; tail very short, almost 

 wanting ; bill slightly curved above at the tip. 



PodicepS Latham. 



Bill straight, moderately stout ; nostrils oblong, lateral, in a short groove ; 

 wings short ; tarsus scutellate; hallux bordered by a web. 



1409. Podiceps cristatus(^.), Bodd., P. E. 4 oo, 944; Gould, 



B. Eur. pi. 388 ; Aud., B. Amer. vii. pi. 479; Jerd., S. Ind. iii. p. 821 ; Sir. 

 F. i. pp. 142, 265 ; iv. pp. 31, 203 ; Murray ', Hdbk., ZooL, fyc. t Sind, p. 240 ; 

 id., Vert. Zool., Sind, p. 311. The CRESTED GREBE. 



Head with a long, dark brown or black silky, erectile crest, standing out 

 behind, divided in two ; forehead slightly paler ; nape and neck behind 



