28 



APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. 



EED-THROATED LOON. 



REPTILES OF VERMONT. 



GEOGRAPHIC TORTOISE. 



RED-THROATED LOON. 



Colymbus septentrionalis. 

 Description. — Color of the head and 

 upper parts of the neck, deep ash. Chin 

 and sides of the mouth, white. Sides of 

 the throat and neck, white, spotted, or 

 striped with ash. Upper parts brownish, 

 spotted Avith white, the feathers usually 

 having a white spot on each side toward 

 the point. White beneath, with a brownish 

 transverse band across the vent. Wings 

 brownish black; second quill longest, fii'st 

 nearly equal. Tarsus much compressed, 

 with a slight web along the edge, black on 

 the outside and whitish on the inner side. 

 Outward side of the feet, and a part of the 

 web on the inner side, blackish. Bill blu- 

 ish black, lightest towards the point, nar- 

 row and pointed; upper mandible longest 

 and a little curved; lower, incurved on the 

 sides, acute at the tip and grooved beneath. 

 Tongue pointed, with a fringe at the base 

 directed inward. Eye moderate ; irides 

 dark purple; pupils black. Length of the 

 specimen above described, which is evi- 

 dently a young fowl, 21 inches ; bill, 

 along the ridge, 1.7, beneath, 1.9, along 

 the gap, 2.9; folded wing, 10.6; tarsus, 

 3.2; longest toe, (the outer,) 3.2, nail 0.3. 

 Tail very short and rounded, reaching two 

 inches beyond the folded Avings. Adults 

 have the head lead color, the upper parts 

 blackish, the belly white, and a I'eddish 

 stripe along the throat and neck. 



History. — The Loon above described 

 was shot in Burlington Bay, on the 1st day 

 of November, 1816. It is very rare in 

 Vermont, in comparison with the C. gla- 

 cialis, or Great Northern Diver, described 

 in Part I, p. 111. They are common in 

 the northern parts of both continents, and 

 rear their young in the neighborhood of 

 fresh Avater lakes. They lay their eggs, 2 

 in number, on a small quantity of down, 

 or other soft materials, near the edge of the 

 water. They are of a pale oil-green color, 

 and are nearly 3 inches long and 1| in thick- 

 ness. This fowl is called, in England, the 

 Sprat Loon, by the fishermen. It is known 

 in some places by the name of Scape Grace. 



Note. — ^In Part I, Chap, in, we have de- 

 scribed 141 species of Vermont Birds; and 

 we have in this Appendix described 20 

 additional species, making the Avhole num- 

 ber described 161 species. And even this 

 number falls very considerably short of the 

 whole number of species found in the state. 

 I have specimens of several species, Avhich 

 are not here described, on account of doubts 

 with regard to their proper names. And ' 

 it is well known that we have a considera- i 

 ble number of ducks and other water fowl, 1 

 which spend some time with us, in spring 



! and fall, in their annual migrations north 



' and south. The Swan, CyQ;)uts ameri- 



canus, is occasionally met with, even in 



the small ponds in the interior of the state. 



j My friend. Dr. Ariel Hunton, of Hydepark, 



informs me that a Ssvan was shot in Mud 



I pond, in Cambridge, by Mr. Eliel Page, in 



j 1841. It was very large, said to be six 



! feet high, to spread its Avings eight feet, 



: and to weigh 57 pounds. These statements 



are doubtless exagerateJ, particularly the 



last. The length of the American Swan is 



usually stated at about 5 feet, and spread 



7 feet. 



REPTILES OF VERMONT. 



Additio?ial to Part /, Chapter iv. 



Although Ave are well satisfied that Ave 

 have a considerable number of species of 

 reptiles, Avhich are not embraced in our 

 list in Part I, page 113, Ave shall here add 

 only the two following : 



Emys geographica. Geographic Tortoise. 

 Trionyxferox, Soft-shelled Tortoise. 



GEOGRAPHIC TORTOISE. 



Emys geographica. — Le Stjxor. 

 Description. — Shell oval, rather depress- 

 ed, smooth, widely emargiuate in front, 

 serrated behind, and deeply notched over 

 the tail. Vertebral plates slightly carinate, 

 the first hexagonal, rounded in front — the 

 three folloAving somewhat larger, subequal, 

 and hexagonal. The two intermediate 

 lateral plates largest, and pentagonal — the 

 posterior rhomboidal. Marginal plates 25, 

 the three first on each side subequal, with 

 a nearly equal margin, — the three follow- 

 ing restricted, w-ith their outward margins 

 turned upwards; the seventh slightly turn- 

 ed upwards and widening posteriorly. The 

 five remaining ones on each side are two 

 toothed on their outer margins, the biden- 

 tations becoming more distinct to the last. 

 Sternum deeply notched behind, and slight- 

 ly before — scapular plates small, triangu- 

 lar — brachial plates truncate, triangular ; 

 third p.air of plates narrow, Avith their ex- 

 terior edges projecting laterally and back- 

 ward, and joining the 4th and 5th marginal 

 plates at their junction, — the fourth pair 

 largest and joining the fifth marginal plate 

 and a small intermediate one ; five pairs of 

 trapeziums, with the longest of the parallel 

 sides outward; caudal plates rounded pos- 

 teriorly, Avith the two straight sides forming 

 an acute angle Head moderately large ; 

 edges of the jaws very sharp. Legs rather 

 long; upper sides of the foi'e legs covei'ed 

 with flat roundish scales, largest on the 

 outer margin ; fore feet armed with five 



