THE OULLS AND TERNS. 



213 



Fig. 250), is nearly or quite extinct, being nntil lately eon- 

 fined to one or two inaccessible islets near Iceland, where 

 it has been extinct since 1844, and to Labrador, though 

 formerly it ranged from Cape Cod northward, a few sur- 

 vivors having lived on the Fanks, an islet on the eastern 

 coast of Newfoundland, within perhaps thirty years. 



The grebes have lobate feet, and the tail is a mere tuft of 

 downy feathers. Tliey lay a greater number of eggs (6-8) 

 than in other birds of this order. The nest is formed of 

 matted vegetation, close to the 

 water, or, as it is said, floating 

 among aquatic plants. The 

 young swim as soon as they are 

 hatched. These birds inhabit 

 the lakes and rivers of all parts 

 of the earth. The pied-billed 

 grebe [Podilymhus podiceps) is 

 common in the United States in 

 the winter. 



The loons are well known for 

 their large size, flat bodies, long 

 necks, and quickness in diving. 

 They are migratory, and lay two 

 or three eggs in rushes near the 

 water's edge. Their voice is extremely loud and harsh. 

 The great northern diver {Colymbus torquatus), which 

 tenants our lakes and bays, is 2^-3 feet in length; it is 

 black and white, the head and neck iridescent with violet 

 and green; while the red-throated diver {0. sejitentrionalin) 

 is smaller, with a large chestnut-i'ed patch on the throat. 



Order 2. Longijjennes (Long-winged swimmers). — The 

 petrels, gulls, and terns represent this group. They have 

 long, slender, compressed bills, long, sharp wings, immense 

 powers of flight, and lay their eggs in rude nests on rocks or 

 upon the ground. The petrels, or " Mother Carey's Chick- 

 ens," belong to the genus Tlialassidroma, and are remarkal)le 

 for their small size and slight bodies; they are ever on the 



Fig. 251. — Roseate Tern. 



