Podiceps eristatus, Latham. Chested Grebe. This has been 
counted as a North American bird by Bonaparte (Syn. p. 417), by 
Richardson (Faun. Bor. Am. II, p. 410), by Nuttall (Water Birds, 
p. 250), by Audubon (Orn. Biog. Ill, 595, pi. 292), and others. It 
is retained by Mr. Lawrence in the ninth volume of Pacific Railroad 
Reports, and is even given by Dr. Coues in his “ Birds of the North¬ 
west,” without any expression of doubt as to its existence in North 
America; indeed, he ventures the remark that he sees no differ¬ 
ence between American and European specimens. Nevertheless it 
is now universally conceded that not a specimen is in existence of 
American origin, and that there is no authentic record of the cap¬ 
ture of a single specimen in America. Every specimen that has been 
referred to this species, where in existence, proved to be either 
immature examples of P. griseigena , or to be foreign examples, and 
by no one is this now more cheerfully conceded than by Dr. Coues 
himself. 
It is very obvious now, in reading Mr. Audubon’s notes by the 
light of our present knowledge of the habits of the American form 
of the Red-necked Grebe, that all he wrote in reference to the sup¬ 
posed American P. eristatus relates exclusively to the former species, 
of which he makes but a brief mention, and with which he appeared 
to regard himself as unfamiliar, although it is so common about East- 
port and the provinces where he spent the spring of 1833. 
Bull N.O.O, 3, April, 1878, p, 6 ‘,2 • 
Gu:. 
Bull N.O.O. 1881, p. 
