44-4 PODICIPEDID^. 



Mr. Chapman gives a series of measurements to prove his points of distinction for 

 the three geographical forms into which he divides P. dominicus, but our series does 

 not bear out his conclusions. Thus, a specimen from Duenas has a stouter and quite 

 as long a bill as that of a typical San Domingo bird, while another example from the 

 first-mentioned locality has it of the same size as that of a Texan bird. We have 

 likewise a specimen from Corpus Christi which has a bill a little stouter and fully as 

 long as the San Domingo example. 



P. dominicus, considered in its wider sense, is a South -American species, which 

 extends its range throughout our region into the Gulf States of North America. That 

 it breeds in Central America cannot be doubted, as Grayson states that he found it 

 abundant in all the freshwater ponds near Mazatlan and in Tepic throughout the 

 entire year i^. 



Sumichrast, too, records the species as common on both coasts of Southern Mexico 

 and on the lakes of the interior. The series sent from Cozumel Island consisted almost 

 entirely of young birds ^* ; possibly this Grebe occurs there only on migration. 



We found it quite common on the Lake of Duenas, Guatemala, where we ultimately 

 shot some adult birds in November ^o. At Coban its native name is " Tzunun-ok-ok." 



P. dominicus is the smallest of the American Grebes usually found on still water. 

 Like other species of the family it is an expert diver. The nest is a floating mass of 

 wet reeds, lightly attached to the stalks of water-plants, and is similar to that of the 

 European Little Grebe. 



PODTLYMBUS. 



Podilymbus, Lesson, Traite d'Orn. p. 595 (1831) ; Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxvi. p. 553 

 (1898). 



This genus agrees with Podicipes in the proportions of the secondary-quills and the 

 tarsus, but has the culmen strongly curved downward towards the tip, with some 

 bristly feathers on the forehead. 



One species only is known, breeding from Temperate North America southward, 

 and migrating to South America in winter. 



1. Podilymbus podicipes. 



The Pied-bill Dopchick, Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carol, i. p. 91, t. 91 '. 



Colymbus podiceps, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 223 (1766) ' ; Wagler, Isis, 1831, p. 530 '. 



Podilymbus podiceps, Scl. Sc Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 234 * ; Dresser, Ibis, 1866, p. 46 ° ; Lawr. Ann. 



Lye. N. Y. ix. p. 144°; Duges, La Nat. i. p. 142' ; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 219 ° ; Cat. 



Strickl. Coll. p. 635°; Lawr. Mem. Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 319"; Sumichr. La Nat. v. 



p. 234 " ; Baird, Brewer, & Ridgway, Water-Birds N. Amer. ii. p. 440 " ; Ferrari-Perez, 



Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 180" ; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. pp. 188", 330"; Stone, Proc. 



Acad. Philad. 1890, p. 202 "; A. O. U. Check-1. N. Amer. Birds, 2nd ed. p. 3 ". 



