THE Q JILLS AND TERNS, 
213 
Fig. 250), is nearly or quite extinct, being until lately con- 
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 Funks, 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. They lay a greater number of eggs (6-8) 
than in other birds of this order. The negt 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 largo size, flat bodies, long 
necks, and quickness in diving. 
They are migratory, and lay two 2M.-Roseate Tern! 
or three eggs m rushes near the 
water's edge, llieir voice is extremely loud and harsh. 
The great northern diver {Colymbics torqitatus), 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 (C. septentrionalis) 
is smaller, with a large cliestnut-red patch on the throat. 
Order 2. Longiijennes (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 Thalassidroma, and are remarkable 
for their small size and slight bodies; they are ever on the 
