524 PODICIPEDID^ 



America. The most northern occurrence on record is that 

 of a bird taken 011 June 23rd, on the island of Jan Mayen 

 (Saunders). In winter it journeys over Temperate Europe 

 to the south of that Continent, but is scarce in the Mediter- 

 ranean. Westward it reaches the Northern United States 

 and has been traced as far as the Bermudas. Over the 

 Continent of Asia it migrates to North India and the 

 adjacent countries in that latitude, and east to Japan. 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. In spring (not earlier 

 than April), this Grebe develops a pair of great ' horns ' or 

 ' tufts ' of golden-brown feathers which jut out from the 

 sides and top of the head, giving the bird a most striking 

 aspect, "the head (being surrounded, as it were, by a 

 nimbus or aureole, such as that with which painters adorn 

 saintly characters) reflecting the rays of light, and glittering 

 with a glory that passes description" (Newton). Top of 

 head, forehead, and chin, black; throat encircled with a 

 ' tippet ' of a similar colour ; back, scapulars, wings, upper 

 tail-coverts, and rump, dark brownish-black ; back of neck, 

 dark blackish-grey ; front and sides of neck, upper breast, 

 sides, and flanks, rich reddish-brown ; lower breast and abdo- 

 men, white ; under tail-coverts, dusky ; secondaries, chiefly 

 whitish, except the outer ones which like the primaries 

 are dusky or ash -brown. 



Adult female nuptial. The head-garniture is not so 

 highly developed as in the male, otherwise the sexes are 

 similar in plumage. 



Adult winter, male and female. ' Horns ' and ' tippet ' 

 absent ; lower throat and flanks, streaked with light grey ; 

 chin, cheeks, upper throat, breast, abdomen, and under tail- 

 coverts, white. 



Immature, male and female. Eesembles the adult 

 winter-garb, but the breast and abdomen are brownish- 

 white and there is a greyish shading on the cheeks. 



BEAK. Blackish, white at the tip. 



FEET. Dark olive or greyish-black, shading to pale 

 slate-colour on the inner surface. 



IRIDES. Red ; narrow white rim round pupil. 



