THE HORNED GREBE. 
203 
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 byoad, 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, inflect- 
ed, 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, posteri- 
orly 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 
margined, 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 <jusky 
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 yellowish-browo. Fore neck brownish-red ; lower parts white, the 
sides reddish-brown : abdomen dull grey. The upp’er parts are brownish- 
black, the feathers edged with greyish, the middle secondary quills white. 
Length to end of tail 141, to end of claws 19 ; extent of wings 251 ; wing 
from flexure 51 ; bill along the back along the edge of lower mandible 
li ; tarsus 1J; outer toe 1-j-f., its clawrV- 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 
