PODICIPINiE. COLYMBUS. 207 
long, anteriorly narrowed ; neck long, thick ; body very 
large, elliptical, much depressed* Feet short, placed very 
far back ; tibia almost entirely concealed ; tarsus short, ex- 
tremely compressed, edged before and behind, reticulated ; 
hind toe extremely small, with a very small membrane ; an- 
terior toes slender, connected by membranes, the outer toe 
longest; claws very small, depressed, obtuse. Plumage 
short, dense ; the feathers oblong ; wings very small and 
narrow, curved, acute, with the first quill longest ; tail ex- 
tremely short, rounded, of more than twelve feathers. 
Extremely expert divers, feeding on fishes, both marine 
and lacustrine. They form a rude nest on the margins of 
lakes, lay two or three elongated, olivaceous, spotted egg s. 
The young presently betake themselves to the water. Two 
species are common in Britain, a third of rare occurrence. 
276. CoLYMBUS GLACIALIS. BlNG-NECKED LOON. 
Adult about three feet long, with the bill almost quite 
straight, three inches in length along the ridge, an inch in 
height at the base, with the sides flattened, the edges little 
inflected ; the head and neck deep bluish-green glossed with 
purple ; a patch on the throat, and a broad ring, incomplete 
in front, on the neck, of white longitudinally streaked with 
black; the upper parts black, the middle of the back and 
scapulars with quadrangular, its fore and hind parts, and the 
wings, with small round white spots, of which there are two 
on each feather ; the sides of the lower neck streaked with 
white and black ; the lower parts white, but the sides black, 
spotted with white, and a narrow dusky band across the hind 
part of the abdomen. Young in winter with the bill greenish- 
yellow, dusky on the ridge; upper plumage dark greyish- 
brown, the feathers edged with paler ; lower parts white ; 
sides of neck streaked with dusky, of body like the back. 
Male, 36, 55, 15f, S T \, 3-*, 4^, Female, 32, 52. 
The Great Northern Diver, as this bird is usually called, 
is not very numerous with us, nor permanently resident. 
Narrow channels, friths, voes, sea-lochs, and sandy bays, are 
its favourite places of resort. It swims with great speed, 
sinking partially when alarmed, dives with great celerity, can 
remain a long time under water, and, on account of its vigi- 
lance and dexterity, is very difficult to be shot. From the 
middle of spring to the end of May, it is common along our 
northern coasts, and from October to spring young birds espe- 
