GREAT NORTILERN DIVER. 651 
point on its fore part, without joining, — this band measures about an 
inch and a half in its widest part, and, to appearance, is not continu- 
ous on the back part of the neck, being concealed by some thick, 
overhanging, black feathers, but, on separating the latter, the band 
becomes visible; the feathers which form these, narrow stripes, are 
white, streaked down their centre with black, and, what is. a remark- 
able peculiarity, their webs project above the common surface; be- 
low this, a broad band of dark glossy green and violet, which is 
blended behind with the plumage of the back; the lower part of the 
neck, and the sides of the breast, are ribbed in the same manner‘as 
the band above; below the chin, a few stripes of the same; the whole 
of the upper parts are of a deep black, slightly glossed with green, 
and thickly spotted with white, in regular transverse or semicircular 
rows, two spots on the end-of each feather —those on the upper part 
of the back, shoulders, rump, and tail-coverts, small and roundish, 
those on the centre of the back, square and larger; those on the 
scapulars are the largest, and of an oblong square shape; the wing- 
feathers and tail are plain brown black, the latter composed of twenty 
feathers; the lower parts are pure white, a slight dusky line across 
the vent; the scapulars descend over the wing when closed, and the 
belly feathers ascend so as to meet them, by which means every part 
of the wing is concealed, except towards the tip. This accommoda- 
tion is to prevent its retarding the bird in diving. The outside of the 
legs and feet is black, inside pale blue; the leg is four inches in 
length, and the foot measures, along the exterior toe*to the tip of its ° 
claw, four inches and three quarters; both legs and feet are marked 
with five-sided polygons. : 
The female Diver is somewhat less than the male; the bill is yel- 
lowish; crown, back part of the. neck, and whole upper parts, pale 
brown; the plumage of part of the back and scapulars is tipped with 
pale ash; the throat, lower side of the neck, and whole under parts, 
are white, but not so pure as that of the male, having a yellowish 
tinge; the quill-feathers, dark brown. She has no appearance of bands 
on her neck, or-of spots on her body. : : : 
The young males do not obtain their perfect plumage until the 
second or third year. One which we saw, and which was conjectured 
to be a yearling, had some resemblance to the female, with the excep- 
tion of its upper parts being of a darker and purer brown, or mouse 
color, and its under parts of a more delicate white; it had likewise a 
few spots on the back and scapulars; but none of those markings on 
the neck which distinguish the full-grown'male. : 
The conformation of the ribs and bones of this species is remarka- 
ble, and merits particular examination. ; 
In the account which some of the European ornithologists give of 
their Northern Diver, we presume there is an inaccuracy. They say it 
measures three feet. six inches in length, and four feet eight in breadth. 
and weighs sixteen pounds. If this be a correct statement, it would 
lead to the surmise that our Diveris a different species; for, of several 
specimens which we examined, the best and largest has been de-. 
scribed for this work; the admeasurement of which bird comes con- 
siderably short of that of the European mentioned above. The weight 
we neglected to ascertain. The Common Wild Goose of our country, 
