214 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



confirmed by every worker on African birds ; Asiatic birds, which were larger, 

 were left unnamed and do not seem to have been studied since ; Australian birds, 

 which were found to be lighter and smaller, were renamed P. c. christiani Mathews, 

 as Gould named Podiceps australis as being larger and darker, which are the 

 characteristics of the New Zealand race, which should be called P. c. australis Gould. 

 There may be two races in New Zealand, and it is probable that series in Australia 

 would show differences. 



Genus POLIOCEPHALUS. 



Poliocephalus Selby, Cat. Gen. Subgen. Types Aves, p. 47, 1840. Type [(by original 



designation) : Podiceps poliocephalus Jardine and Selby. 



Dasyptilus Swainson, Classif. Birds, Vol. II., p. 369, July 1st, 1837. Type (by original 



designation) : P. poliocephalus Jardine and Selby. 



Not Wagler, Abhandl. Ak. Wiss. Munch., Vol. II., p. 602, 1832. 



Tachybaptus Reichenbach, Nat. Syst. Vogel, p. m. f 1852 (? 1853). Type (by monotypy) : 



Colyrnbus minor Gmelin = C. ruficollis Vroeg. 



Colyrribetes Heine und Reichenow, Nomencl. Mus. Hem., p. 364, (pref. Sept.) 1890: New 



name for Poliocephalus Selby. 



Not of Schellenberg, Helvet. Entom., Vol. II., p. 188, 1806. 



Smallest Grebes with short stout bills, short wings, no tail and large legs and 

 feet. The bill is stout, about the length of the head, the culmen almost straight, the 

 ridge a little arched, the tip sharp, not decurved ; a well-marked nasal groove 

 extends about half the length of the culmen, the nostrils pervious linear small slits, 

 about midway between the ridge and the edge of the mandible, in the anterior 

 portion of the groove ; the depth of the bill at the base is about one-third the length 

 and the under mandible is about as strong as the upper ; the strong rami are not 

 grooved and coalesce to form a strongly angulated gonys, which shows the separate 

 rami ; the interramal space is narrow and unfeathered. The wings are very short, 

 the first and second a little scalloped on the inner webs and practically subequal, 

 the second probably the longest, the secondaries as long as the primaries. Tail 

 showing no differentiated tail-feathers. Feet and legs as in preceding, the serrations 

 on the posterior ridge of the tarsus much more prominent and stronger, sometimes 

 a double row being present. The lobes of the toes are connected a little different 

 at their bases, the claws more pectinate, sometimes all the claws showing strong 

 pectinations. 



Coloration dark brown above, head and neck dark with colour markings or 

 white tips, abdomen white. 



148. Poliocephalus ruficollis. BLACK-THROATED GREBE. 



[Colyrnbus ruficoUis Vroeg, ex Pallas MS., Cat. Rais. d'Ois., Adumb., p. 6, (before Sept. 22nd) 

 1764; Holland, Europe. Extra-limital ] 



Gould, Vol. VII., pi. 81 (pt. xn.), Sept. 1st, 1843. Mathews, Vol. I., pt. 5, pi. 62, Oct. 31st, 

 1911. 



Podiceps novcehoUandice Stephens, in Shaw's Gen. Zool., Vol. XIII., pt. i., p. 18, Feb. 18th, 



1826 : New South Wales, based on Latham's description of Watling drawing No. 263. 



Podiceps gularis Gould, Synops. Birds Austr., pt. i., pi. 19, Jan. 1st, 1837 : New South 



Wales. 



Podiceps ftuviatilis carterce Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVHT., p. 197, Jan. 31st, 1912: 



Broome Hill, South-west Australia. 



Podiceps fluviatilis parryi Mathews, ib. : Parry's Creek, North-west Australia. 



DISTRIBUTION. Australia generally and Tasmania. 



Adult male, breeding. Upper-surface dark brown, with a tinge of grey on the 

 wings ; wing-coverts like the back ; bastard -wing and primary -co verts dark brown ; 

 primary-quills dark brown, white at base which increases in extent towards the 



