LITTLE GEEBE 533 



Immature, male and female. Resembles the adult winter- 

 plumage, but the markings are less distinct, while the sides 

 of the head are streaked with greyish-brown. 



BEAK. Blackish-brown, with a greenish patch at the 

 gape, and pale horn-colour at the tip. 



FEET. Greyish-green. 



IRIDES. Reddish-brown. 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH ... 9*5 in. Female slightly smaller. 



WING 3'9 



BEAK O75 



TARSOMETATARSUS 1'3 ,, 



EGG 1-5 X 1'2 in. 



Allied Species and Representative Forms. P. philip- 

 pensis, with the rufous extending over the chin and throat, 

 ranges from China to the Malay Archipelago ; P. capensis, 

 with more white on the wings than in P. fluviatilis, inhabits 

 Madagascar and Africa, also India and Ceylon ; P. tricolor, 

 closely allied to our bird, but showing more extensive rufous 

 marking 011 the face, inhabits Borneo, New Guinea and many 

 of the smaller Islands in the Malay Archipelago ; P. novce- 

 liollandice, a bird much about the size of P.fluviatilis, but 

 differing in several details, inhabits Australia, Java, and New 

 Guinea ; P. dominicus, smaller than our bird, is found in the 

 Southern States, Mexico, Central and South America as far 

 as Patagonia. 



Note. A specimen of the American Pied-billed Grebe, 

 (Podilymbus podicipes), stated to have been procured near 

 Weymouth, in January, 1881, was exhibited by Dr. R. 

 Bowdler Sharpe at the meeting of the Zoological Society of 

 London, on June 21st, 1881. The bird was little more than 

 a nestling and still showed the long stripes on its neck. 

 Mr. Saunders is of the opinion that it was probably an 

 accidental exchange of specimens by the dealer, for he sold 

 the bird as merely a Little Grebe. 



