ornithologist's text-book. 67 



it in shape, in colour, or in habits. The bill is 

 slender, with a slight bend upwards, the mandibles 

 bent inward at the edges, and the upper one mar- 

 gined and very slightly hooked at the tip. The 

 head is small, and the forehead remarkably low; 

 the body short and compact, the wings very short 

 and rounded, the tail also short, but very stout and 

 strongly fortified by coverts. The whole is what 

 one would call a ' dumpy' bird, but there is an 

 expression of great energy and activity about it. 

 Its plumage also is remarkably thick and close, 

 resembling that of the water birds. Like these, it 

 is amply supplied with oil for its feathers ; and, 

 though a considerable time in the water, the plum- 

 age on the living bird does not become wet. The 

 head, back, and sides of the neck are deep brown; 

 the rest of the upper part is black, with some va- 

 riations of brownish grey. The tail feathers and 

 quills are quite black. The throat, chin, and breast, 

 are white, passing into reddish brown about the 

 middle of the belly, and becoming gradually deeper 

 and blacker towards the end of the tail. The bill 

 is dark brown, the irides brownish yellow, and the 

 feet yellowish grey. The sexes are like each other 

 in their markings, only the brown on the head of the 

 female is darker, and the white on the breast less 

 pure. The young birds have that part of the head 

 and neck grey which is brown in the old birds ; 

 and they have the under part white almost to the 

 vent, but marked with grey and yellow on the 

 portion which afterwards becomes brown. They 

 are, of course, seen with the plumage of the 

 changeable parts in all its intermediate stages; 

 and, as it may change differently in different birds 

 (as is the case in all birds that change much of 

 their plumage either with age or with the seasons), 

 there may be very different markings even in the 



