438 



THE DIVING BIRDS — I'YGOrODES. 



Gents FODICEPS, Latham. 



Podiccps, iiATii. Iiul. Orii. II. 17t>0, 780 dmit ; type, by cliiniimtion and restriction, Colymbtis 



fluviatilis, TuN! T.). 

 TachijhapUis, Reicuenh. Syst. Av. 1852, p. iii (tyix;, Cobjmbtis minor, G.mel.,= C'. Jiuvialilh, 

 TuN.sr.). 



Chau. Very small (winj,' not more than 4.(X) inches). Neck much smaller than the body ; 

 bill shorter than the head, the culmen less than 3 times the basal depth ; tarsus decidtidly shorter 

 than the middle toe without idaw ; adult in breeding-plimiage without ornamental tufts (or, in the 

 American species, colored patclies). 



Althouj,di (juite dill'erent in its c(donition from the type of the genus (I'.Jliiviatilis), which has 

 the head briglitly coloreil in the breeding-season, the American species which we place here agrees 

 very minutely in the details of form. 



Podiceps dominicus. 



THE LEAST GREBE. 



Coli/iiibus dominu'ii.i, Lixx. S. N. I. 1700, 223 (based on Colymbits fluviatilis dominwcnsis, Hniss. 



Orii. VI. 1700, 04, pi. .5, tig. 2). 

 Podiceps dominicus, I.atii. InJ. Orn. II. 1790, 785. — liAiun, Rep. U. S. & Mex. Bmind. Survey, 



II. 185!), pt. ii. IJirds, 28 ; Birds N. Am. e.l. 1800, pi. 99, fig. 1 ; Cat. N. Am. 15. 1859, no. 



708<r.— CoiJES, Key, 1872, 338 ; Cheek List, 1873, no. 013 ; ed. 2, 1882, no. 851. 

 SyllH'ocyc! us dominicus, Coi'Es, I'r. Ac. Nat. Sci. I'hilad. 1802, 232. 

 Podiceps (Tachybaptcs) dominicus, I'ouEs, Birds N. \V. 1871, 730. 

 Tachybaptcs dominicus, UiDow. Noni. N. Am. B. 1881, no. 734. 



Hah. The whole of tropical America, both continental and Antillean ; south to Paraguay, 

 north to Texas and Lower California. 



Sp. Char. Adult, hrccdiutj-phimwic : Head .nnd neck dark grayish or dull jdumbeous, tlie 

 pileum slightly glossy greenish black, the chin and throat dull black ; remaining upper parts dusky 

 brown, the remiges ligiit brownish gray, with their imier webs ehietly white. Lower parts wiiite, 

 clouded, chielly beneath the surface, with grayisli dusky, the sides and ciissum uniform gniyish 



brown, the jugulum similar, sometimes tinged with ferruginous. Bill deep black, the tip paler ; 

 iris orange ; legs and feet blackish. Winter plumaije: Similar to the preceding, but chin and 

 throat white, and the h)wer parts more uniformly white. Downii youuri : Head and neck marked 

 with white nnd dusky blick lines ; upper parts uniform dusky, lower grayish white.* 



Total length, about 9.(H) inches ; wing, 4.(K) ; culmen, .90 ; depth of bill at base, <35 ; tarsus, 

 1.30 ; middle toe, without claw, 1.50, 



• The downy young are thus deserilM'd by M. Tacznnowski, in Proe. Zool. Soe. Lond. 1882, p. 49 : - 

 " Tlie young ones in down, collected in .Inly, liiive tlie top of tiie lieiid blnck, witli a rufous Hiwt in tlie 

 middle and a series of white stripes disposed in the following manner : a median stripe in front of tlii' 



