HOARY -HEADED GREBE. 215 



inner ones ; secondaries white, with a shade of brown on the outer webs ; the long 

 innermost secondaries brown with white bases ; head black, glossed with green ; 

 a line of chestnut from behind the eye which widens out on the sides of the neck ; 

 throat patch glossy black ; fore-neck rusty -brown ; feathers of the breast tipped 

 with dark brown, more intensely on the sides, giving a speckled appearance ; 

 remainder of the under-surface pearly-white, becoming dusky on the sides of the 

 body and sides of vent ; axillaries and under wing-coverts pure white ; bill black, 

 tip pearly-white ; iris orange, orbits yellow ; feet bluish-grey. Total length 250 mm.; 

 culmen 23, wing 110, tarsus 34. 



Adult female, breeding. Similar to the above. 



Adult male in winter. Differs from the adult in breeding-plumage in having 

 the top of the head, hind -neck, back, and wings dark ashy -grey ; the throat pure 

 white, a tinge of buff on the sides of the neck, upper-breast and sides of body, lower 

 flanks rufous -buff, the feathers tipped with grey ; tips of primaries grey. 



Adult female in winter. Similar to the above. 



Immature female. Similar to the adult in winter, but differs in having longi- 

 tudinal lines of brown and white on the sides of the head and neck ; fore-head and 

 a streak over the eye brown ; a white line above the eye which crosses the middle 

 of the crown, where it is sandy-buff, and extends in a narrow streak on to the sides 

 of the neck ; a white spot on each side of the nape ; a very narrow line of white 

 from the hinder part of the eye, which joins the one on the side of the crown ; a 

 brown streak from behind the eye to the sides of the neck ; a white line from the 

 hinder part of the eye, which unites with another on the cheeks and extends to the 

 sides of the neck enclosing a patch of brown at the gape, which extends in a narrow 

 line along the sides of the face ; a less distinct line of brown skirting the sides of the 

 throat and extending backwards to the sides of the neck. 



Nestling in down. Upper-surface black, with numerous narrow lines of buffish- 

 white which run horizontally from the hind-neck to the end of the body ; under- 

 surface white ; crown of head and hind -neck black, as also two streaks on the sides 

 of the neck and another on the fore-neck ; a small chestnut patch on the middle 

 of the crown ; a rufous and white V-shaped line from the fore-part of the crown 

 to the sides of the nape ; throat white, with three irregular lines of black running 

 longitudinally on to the fore-neck. 



Nest. Constructed of rushes, weeds, etc., low down in the water, and always 

 damp, and warmed by fermentation. Dimensions 12 in. by 6 to 12 deep ; egg 

 cavity 6 in. by 2 J deep. 



Eggs. Clutch, five to eight ; usually nest-stained, which on being scraped off 

 reveals a pale green ground-colour ; axis 31-38, diameter 24-26. 



Breeding-season. September to February. 



Distribution and forms. Through Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, and 

 many subspecies may be recognised. The extra-limital forms have not been 

 sufficiently studied to limit the subspecies, but in Australia three fairly recognisable 

 races are easily seen : Poliocephalus ruficollis novcehottandice (Stephens) from Eastern 

 Australia ; Poliocephalus ruficollis carterce (Ma thews) from South-west Australia, 

 of darker coloration above and with a shorter thicker bill ; and Poliocephalus 

 ruficollis parryi Mathews from North-west Australia, of lighter coloration than the 

 typical race and with a more slender bill. 



149. Poliocephalus poliocephalus. HOARY-HEADED GREBE. 



Gould, Vol. VII., pi. 82 (pt. xii.), Sept. 1st, 1843. Mathews, Vol. I., pt. 5, pi. 63, Oct. 31st, 

 1911. 



Podiceps poliocephalus Jardine and Selby, Illustr. Ornith., Vol. I., pt. i., pi. 13, Feb. 1827 : 

 New South Wales. 



