138 GREBES 



6 5 . Upper breast lightly spotted with small, wedge-shaped, black- 

 ish spots; tail the same color as the back; sides white; call- 

 note, a clearly whistled wheeu 756. VEERY. 



b l . Bill short and stout; breast and sides heavily spotted with rufous: 

 length 7 '00; haunts on or near the ground, generally in or about 

 shrubbery; call-note, tseep; song loud, ringing, and musical. 



585. Fox SPARROW. 



6. Back olive-green; center of crown pale rufous, bordered by black; 

 length 6" 00; haunts on or near the ground in woodland; a walker; 

 song, a ringing teacher, teacher, TEACHER, TEACHER, TEACHER. 



674. OVEN-BIRD. 

 V. Underparts not white or whitish. 



A. Throat and upper breast black or slate-color, very different from 



the white or chestnut belly. 

 a. Throat black. 



a 1 . Belly and rump chestnut; head, wings and tail black; haunta 

 orchards, shade trees, etc.; song highly musical. 



506. ORCHARD ORIOLE. 

 a 2 . Belly white; sides rufous; tail black and white; haunts under- 



growths; call-note, chewink or towhee 587. TOWHEE. 



h. Throat slate-color. 



6 1 . Back and wings slate-color; outer tail-feathers and belly white; 

 haunts generally on or near the ground about shrubbery; Oct. 

 to Apl 567. JUNCO. 



B. Throat streaked with black and white; rest of underparts rufous; 



upperparts grayish slate-color; length lO'OO 761. ROBIN. 



I. ORDER PYGOPODES. DIVING BIRDS^ 



1. FAMILY COLYMBID^E. GREBES. (Fig. 22a.) 



The Grebes, or lobe-footed divers, are of world-wide distribution. 

 Of the twenty-five known species, six are North American. When, 

 nesting, Grebes usually frequent reed^grown ponds or sloughs, but 

 during their migrations they are found in more open water and some 

 species pass the winter well off the coast. 



When on the water, Grebes bear a general resemblance to Ducks, 

 but where the Duck would fly the Grebe usually dives. A few surface 

 foot-strokes are the usual prelude to flight and, when in the air, the 

 Grebe's smaller wings and shorter tail are evident, while when one is 

 near enough to see their pointed bill no doubt is left of their family 

 relationship. 



Grebes are eminently aquatic birds, and rarely venture far on land, 

 where their slow and awkward progress is more or less assisted by their 

 wings, used as forefeet, though they can go a short distance aided 

 by feet alone. When on shore, Grebes either lie flat on their breasts 

 or sit erect on their tails and entire foot or tarsus. 



The surprising rapidity with which Grebes dive, and the ease with 

 which, formerly at least, they escaped the shot of the fowler, won for 

 them such descriptive names as 'Hell-diver/ 'Water- witch/ etc.; 

 but the cartridges of the modern breech-loader do not give the warning 

 of the discarded flint-lock or percussion cap, and to "dive at the flash" 



