418 COLYMBIDJl. 



rich reddish-chestnut, becoming rather darker towards the 

 bottom ; breast and belly shining silvery white ; sides 

 under the wings, and the flanks dusky, mixed with some 

 chestnut streaks ; legs and toes dark greenish-brown out- 

 side, varied with yellowish-green on the edges and inner 

 surface. The whole length of the bird is rather more than 

 thirteen inches. From the carpal joint to the end of the 

 wing five inches and a half. 



In winter the beak and irides as described in summer ; 

 the upper part of the head dark brown ; the lower part 

 with the chin pure white, a line from the gape to the eye, 

 and from thence along the lower edge of the ear-coverts, 

 being the line of division between the two colours ; back 

 of neck and upper surface of the body dark brown ; lower 

 part of the neck in front greyish- white ; under surface of 

 body and legs as in summer. 



The figure of the male in summer plumage in the illus- 

 tration at the head of this subject was taken from the 

 specimen given rne by Mr. Morgan, and my note made on 

 an examination of the internal parts of this specimen, 

 as mentioned by the Rev. L. Jenyns in his Manual of 

 the British Vertebrate Animals, page 253, was, stomach 

 membrano-muscular, csecal appendages each one inch and 

 a half in length. The other figure, in the state, as to 

 plumage, in which it is called the Dusky Grebe, was taken 

 from a specimen obtained in the London market in March, 

 1825, and now also in my own collection. My note of 

 the internal appearance of this bird was, stomach muscu- 

 lar, a true gizzard, contained insects,* two long csecal 



* Dr. Fleming, in his History of British Animals, page 132, says, "In 

 the stomach of a young male, shot 18th January, 1809, I found a concre- 

 tion, upwards of half an inch in diameter, consisting of its own belly 

 feathers, closely matted together. Montagu, in his Supplement, states 

 that he has observed the same occurrence in the Eed-necked and Crested 

 species. Are these to be considered as analogous to bezoars?" 



