320 THE HORNED GREBE. 



Adult Male in spring. 



Bill shorter than the head, straight, acute, rather slender. Upper man- 

 dible with the dorsal line straight for one-half of its length, towards the end 

 declinate and slightly convex, the ridge convex, the sides sloping, the edges 

 sharp and inflected, the tip acute. Nasal groove broad, extending to beyond 

 the middle of the mandible; nostrils sub-basal, linear-elliptical, pervious. 

 Lower mandible with the angle long and very narrow, the dorsal line short, 

 ascending, straight, the sides erect, slightly convex, the edges sharp, inflected, 

 the tip narrow, acute. 



Head of moderate size, oblong, compressed. Neck rather long and 

 slender. Body depressed. Feet large, short, placed far behind; tibia 

 feathered to the joint; tarsus short, extremely compressed, anteriorly with a 

 narrow scutellate ridge, laterally with numerous broad scutella, posteriorly 

 with a narrow ridge having a double row of small prominent scales. Hind 

 toe very small, with an inferior small membrane; fore toes long, the outer 

 longest, scutellate above, united at the base by short webs, externally mar- 

 gined, internally with broad rounded expansions, which are marked with 

 parallel oblique lines, and crenate on the edges. Claws flattened, that of the 

 middle toe broadest, with an extremely thin, broad terminal edge. 



Plumage of the head and neck very soft and downy, of the breast and 

 sides silky and highly glossed, of the abdomen downy, of the upper parts 

 imbricated, but with loose edges. Wings small; primaries much curved, 

 the first longest, the second almost equal. Tail, a small tuft of loose feathers. 

 On the head, at this season, is a tuft of soft feathers on each side behind the 

 eye, and a larger on each side of the upper part of the neck. 



Bill bluish-black, its tip yellow. Short loral space bright carmine, as is 

 the iris, its inner margin white; edges of eyelids greyish-blue. Feet dusky 

 externally, internally and on the anterior and posterior ridges of the tarsus 

 dull yellow; claws dusky. Forehead greyish-brown; upper parts of the 

 head bluish-black, as are the sides, fore neck anteriorly, and the elongated 

 ruff feathers; a broad band over the eyes, and the elongated tufts behind 

 them 3?ellowish-brown. Fore neck brownish-red; lower parts white, the 

 sides reddish-brown; abdomen dull grey. The upper parts are brownish- 

 black, the feathers edged with greyish, the middle secondary quills white. 



Length to end of tail 14f, to end of claws 19; extent of wings 25|-; wing 

 from flexure 5§; bill along the back -^, along the edge of lower mandible H; 

 tarsus H; outer toe lyf, its claw T 3 2. Weight 14 oz. 



Young Female in winter. 



The feathers of the hind head are a little elongated, but at this age there 

 are no tufts on the head. In other respects the plumage is as in the adult 

 male. The bill is bluish-grey, as is the bare loral space; the eye bright 



