ronil'll'ID.K — TIIK (MlKIIKt^ .K('I1M(»I'II<H{US. 



421 



A* Itill slciiilcr, tlu> lt'ii){tli of tile ciiliiiiMi froni il to <i liiiics i^'ii'iUtT tliiiii tlic Imsal (lc|illi. 

 It. Siz« liir^c (win;,', (t.l.VD.oo iiulu's ; ciiliiicn, l.r)(>-;t.(ir.). 



1. iBobmophorua. Xi'ck fxtn^iiu'ly loiij; (ulinosl i'ijiimI Id tlic Ixuly in li-rt^'tli) ; liill lixi^'cr 



tliim the lifud, very kU'imIit iiinl acuti! (the culincii T) to (1 times |oii;,'('r tlmii tlic ilcpth 

 tliroii;,'li the l(usi'), stiiiij^'lit, or cvfii slii^lilly rcciirvcil ; liirsiis i'i|iiiii to iIk! midiUc toe and 

 daw ; no colorcil tul'ls, mil's, or patdu's alioiit the liead, and iilunia;,"! the same at all 

 Btn^uM mid HeaHuns. 



2. Colymbus. Neck nimh slioiter than the hody ; lijll ahoiil ('(|nal to the head, stout (<'u1- 



nien alioiit ;U times the liasal (le[>lh), the tiji olitiisc, and the outlines more or less curved ; 

 tarsu» shorter than tlu; middle toe with claw ; udult in the breedini^-seasoii oriiumentud 

 liy colored rull's, tul'ts, or iiutehes ahoul the head, the winter i^uma^'e and the youn^' very 

 dill'erent. 

 h. Size small (winj,', aliout Ti. ()(>-(!. (K) inches ; culnien, .05-1.1(1). 



3. Dytes. Neck miK'h shorter than the liody ; hill much shorter than the head, the cuhuen 



e(|ual to aliout 3 to '•l\ times tlu; liasal de|ith ; tarsus aliout e(|ual to the miildle tou 

 withnnt the claw ; adult in lireedin;,'-i)luma,i,'e with colored tul'ts or patches* about tho 

 liead ; youni,' and winter adult very dill'erent from the lireedin;,'-i>lumaj,'e. 

 c. Size very small (winj,', 3..'')(>-4.(i(» inches ; culnien, less than l.(H)). 



4. Podicepa. Neck much shorter than IIk; Imdy ; hill shorter than tin' heail, the culmen less 



than 3 times the basal dejith ; tarsus decidedly shorter than the middle toe without claw ; 

 in the American species, adult in breedini.;-plunia;,'e without iirnameiital tufts or patches. 

 B> Dill very stout, the lenj,'th of the culmen less than twice as ;,'i-eat as the basal depth. 



5. FodilymbuB. Size rather small (win;,', about 4..')()-5.(Mt inches) ; bill much shorter than 



head, the culnien much curved termiiially ; tarsus shorter than middle toe without claw. 

 No tul'ts in .summer pluiiia|,'e, but bill crossed by a broad black bar, and thruat covered 

 by a black patch. 



Gexits iECHMOPHORUS, Coue-s. 



/Echmophorux, CoiKs, I'r. Ac. Nat. Sci. Pliilad. April, 1862, 2S9 (type, Pixllcpr, occidentnlis, Lawii.). 



Char. Neck extremely Ion;,' (almost as long as the body), the bill lon;^er than the head, very 

 slender and acute (the len^jth of the culmen .') to (i times ;,'reater than the depth throu;,'h the base), 

 8trai;,dit, or even sli;,'litly recurved ; tarsus e^ual to the middle toe and (law. Plumaye plain pluiii- 

 lieniis-dusky or blackish above, pure white beneath, inchulin;^ the whide under .side of head and 

 neck ; much the .same at all .seasons and sta;^e3. 



Only one .species of this fjenus is known ; this, however, represented by two sui)po.sed races, 

 distiii;iuished mainly, if not entirely, by their dimensions. They dilfer as follows : — 



1. OccidentaliB. Win;,', 7.4.')-8..'')() inches (avera|,'e, 8.07) ; culmen, 2.(>()-3.(».') (2.7.H). Ilah. 



Western North America in ;,'eiieral, but chielly the interior. 



2. Clarki. Win;,', (i.7i)-7.75 inches (average, 7.31) ; culmen, 2.10-2.48 (2.25).* Ihih. Pacilic 



coa.st of North America. 



iEchmophorus occidentalis. 



THE WESTERN GREBE. 



Podicrpn occidm/nMn, Lawii. in Haiid's B. N. Am. 18,'J8, 804. — nAiisi), Cat. N. Am. H. IS.ID, no. 



704. —Coop. & .SrcK. N. H. Wash. Terr. 18(iO, 281, pi. 38. — Coues, Key, 1872, 33(i ; Check 



List, 1873, no. 608. 

 ^chmophnrHs occidciitafis, Coves, Pr. Ac. Nat. .Sci. Pliilad. 1862, 229 ; 2d Chock List, 1882, no. 



846. — Rinow. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881. no. 729. 

 Podiccps (^Echmoplwrun) occiikntalis, Coues, Birds N. W. 1874, 727. 



' The above mensureinents are from specimens in the Nntional Museum collection. That the two 

 fiirais intcrgrade, however, not only in nu'asuronioiit.s, but .nlso other supposed distinctive diameters, is, 

 we l)clieve, clearly demoii.stratcil by Mr, Hensli.iw in Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, October, 1881, pp. 214 218. 



w 



