92 



CLASS AVES. 



ORDER PALM IP ED A. 



8. PHALERIS (Gr. ^a\//ptc, a sea bird). Beak much shorter than the 

 head, depressed, dilated at the sides, almost quadrangular, and notched at 

 the point ; lower mandible angular ; nostrils in the middle of the beak, mar- 

 ginal, linear, partly closed above and behind, and piercing through the beak ; 

 legs very short ; tarsi slender, and having only three toes, all in front, with 

 much-curved claws. 



9. SPHEXISCUS (Gr. a^vlaKot, a little wedge). Beak shorter than the 

 head, compressed, very large, strong, hard, straight, curved at the tip, and 

 grooved obliquely ; the edges of both mandibles bent inwards, the lower 

 feathered at its base, and obtuse at the tip ; nasal pit very small, nostrils 

 opening in the middle of the beak ; wings unfeathered ; legs very short, 

 thick, and drawn up to the belly ; four toes in front, three of which are con- 

 nected, and the inner one having the very short thumb attached to it. 



10. UEIA. Beak of moderate length, stout, straight, pointed, and com- 

 pressed ; upper mandible slightly curved towards the tip ; lower mandible 

 more or less angular ; nostrils basal, lateral, concave, and longitudinal, half 

 covered with a feathered membrane, and undivided ; wings short ; legs 

 short, retracted into the belly ; tarsi slender ; three toes in front completely 

 webbed ; no hind toe. 



BRACHYPTERA. DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIES. 



PODICEPS Grebe. The plumage of this genus varies considerably ac- 

 cording to age, and has caused great confusion in determining the species. 

 They swim with great readiness on the surface of the water, and are also 

 excellent divers, in the latter case employing their short wings as a pair of 

 oars. Their gait is awkward, owing to their legs being set so far behind 

 the centre of gravity that their body is with difficulty sustained in the upright 

 posture. They are common on the sides of rivers and ponds, where there 

 is plenty of flags and rushes, and more rarely are found on the sea-coast. 

 They feed on fish, on insects which have wing-cases, on worms, vegetables. 

 There are eleven species, one of which, the Horned Grebe (P. Cornutus), 

 is figured on Plate 17. This species measures from twelve to thirteen inches 

 in length; the crown and ruff, which are very wide, deep shining black; 

 above.and behind each eye a large tuft of ferruginous feathers, forming a pair 

 of horns ; space between the upper mandible and eye, the neck and chest, 

 brilliant ferruginous ; nape and upper parts blackish ; under parts white, and 

 the flanks tinged with ferruginous ; secondary alar quills white ; base of the 

 beak rose-coloured, the remainder of it black, except the tip, which is red ; 

 legs bkck externally, and grey on their inner side ; inner margin of the iris 

 yellow, the outer bright red. Till the young birds have become a twelve- 

 month old, they have neither horns nor ruff. It is more common in the 

 eastern and northern parts of Europe, but not nnfrequent in England, rare in 

 Germany, and only accidentally in France, Holland, and Switzerland. It 

 builds among the rushes, to which it attaches its floating nest, and lays three 

 white eggs spotted with brown. 



PODOA. There are two species, the Surinam Grebe-coot (P. Surinamensis), 

 about the size of our Black-chinned Grebe, and the Senegal Coot-grebe (P. 

 Senegalensis), Plate 16. The upper part of the neck and body, wings and 

 tail are brown, inclining to black on the head and upper part of the neck ; 

 the sides of the latter, as also the back and flanks, spotted with black ; from 

 the beak a wliite stripe extends above the eye, along the side of the throat 

 and neck, the front of which is white, as are also the chest and belly ; tail- 

 quills graduated, stiff, rather narrow, and their stems orange-coloured ; beak 

 and legs red. Native of Senegal. 



COLYMBUS Grebe. These birds inhabit marshy districts, building their 

 nests among the rushes, but loose upon the water, with which they rise and 

 fall. Their flesh is very rank ; but in consequence of the beautiful metallic 

 lustre of their plumage, the skins are manufactured into muffs and tippets. 

 The species includes the Great-crested Grebe (C. Cristatus), which is about 

 the size of a Goose, and is very common in the fens of Shropshire and 

 Cheshire, and the East Fen in Lincolnshire, where they are called Gaunts. 

 It is a very careful nurse, feeding its young with small Eels, and when tired 

 carrying them on its back or under its wings. The Tippet Grebe, Pen., is 

 considered to be the young of this species. 



This genus, according to Willughby and Linna-us, included both the 

 Grebes and the Divers, but they have been separated by Hrisson. 



A notice of the Northern Diver, figured as Columbus Glacialis, will be 

 found under EUDYTES below. 



FRATERCULA. The birds of this genus live in rabbit and rat holes, and 

 only come out at twilight, or during violent storms, when they follow tin- 

 wake of ships, and their flight is so rapid and their turnings so quick, that it 

 is almost impossible to follow them ; in clear weather, however, they are 

 rarely seen. In their general form and habits they resemble the Guil- 

 lemots (family Uria), and the Razor-bills (Auks, family Alca). 



The Puffins (illustrated on Plate 1C) are extensively spread throughout the 

 northern circle, whence they migrate southwards in the beginning of winter. 



The Puffin (F. Mormon) is black on the crown of the head, and upj>er 

 parts of the body, also a black collar surrounds the neck; the horny 

 appendages to the eyelids are leaden-grey; the cheeks pearl-grey; bill d.vply 

 furrowed, blue at the base, the rest of the bill orange ; legs also orange. Its 

 length is about thirteen inches. 



ALCA. The birds of this genus are well adapted for swimming ; their 

 wings serve them as paddles rather than organs of flight. There arc several 

 species, of which the Great Auk (A. Impennis) is one. This bird (Plate 

 16) is larger than a Goose : it is a native of the arctic regions, l>cing fre- 

 quently found on the coasts of Norway and Iceland, Greenland, and Spits- 

 bergen. It breeds on the ledges of precipices, in caves and deep fissures : 

 the female lays but one great egg, which is spotted with purple. '1 

 birds are of a dusky-slate colour, throat black in summer and white in 

 winter ; under plumage white, bill and legs dull black. They live on fish 

 and various Crustacea the lump-fish forming its favourite prey. 



APTENODYTES Penguin. The anterior extremities of the Penguin can 

 hardly be called wings ; they are neither adapted for flight, nor are they in- 

 tended for it, being solely employed by the bird hi " rowing itself along 

 with its finny wings as with oars," whilst the head and neck only appear 

 out of the water, in which respect it differs from all other birds which swim 

 on the surface. The feathers of these birds are very close, so that the w-t 

 cannot penetrate, and they are generally extremely fat, whence the name 

 given to them by the Dutch, Pengouin, from pinguis, fat, and since employed 

 as a generic term by Pennant and Latham. It lives much at sea, and has 

 been found as far as seven hundred leagues from land; it rarely comes on 

 shore but to lay its eggs, and gets to its nest with difficulty by crawling on 

 its belly. The largest species known is the Patagonian Penguin (A. 1'ata- 

 gonica), measuring four feet three inches in length, and standing thnv ii-et 

 high ; the wings hazel ; the head, throat, and back of the neck brown ; the 

 back ash-coloured, the under parts quite white ; on each side of the neck is 

 a broad stripe of yellow, only seen when the neck is extended ; for as the 

 bird generally sits with the head shrugged between the shoulders, it appears 

 only as a thin necklace. It lives in large flocks in the neighbourhood of the 

 Straits of Magellan, as far as New Guinea, and feeds on fish, crabs, shell- 

 fish, &c. 



EUDYTES Diver. These birds very much resemble in the web of their 

 feet the family of the Totipalmes, and by the form of their bodies connect 

 them with the Grebes (Cdynibi), from which they have been separated. 

 They are natives of the northern regions, and rarely build in our climate, but 

 occasionally visit our coasts in winter. They are broad, flat, and long- 

 bodied, and swim in a squat position. 



There are three species, the Northern, Black-throated, and Red-throated 



Diver. 



The Northern Diver (E. Glacialis, or, according to Linnatus, Colymbns 

 Glacialis), Plate 16, is about three feet six inches in length, and four tl-.-t 

 eight niches in breadth; it is said to weigh occasionally sixteen p.iun 

 probably this size and weight are exaggerated. The bill is long and black ; 

 head and neck deep black, glossed with green and purple. ; neck striped ; 

 the back black and spotted with white; breast and Wily white; quills and 

 tail black, as are also the legs, which an- set far back and adapted for swim- 

 ming. The Northern Diver inhabits the north of Europe, and seldom visits 

 us, except in very hard winters. 



