legs and toes orange-red, the webs rather darker; the whole
length of the bird twenty-six inches and a half; from the
point of the wing to the eiid of the longest quill-feather
eleven inches.
In the female the bill and irides like those of the male,
but not so "bright in colour; head and upper part of. the
neck reddish-brown; the occipital feathers e lo n g a ted ; the
back, scapulars, tertials, wing-coverts, rump, 'upper tail-
coverts and tail-feathers ash-grey ; wing-primaries lead-grey ;
the secondaries white; chin and lower part of the neck in
front white; breast, and under surface of: the body tinged
with buff; sides and flanks ash-grey;' legs and feet-orange-
red. The female is rather smaller than the male, pj
The young birds in their "plumage resemble the female,
but young males in this state may be readily ascertained by
feeling down the neck in the line of the windpipe with the
finger and thumb; males have two enlargements on the
tube, which females do not possess, their windpipe being
uniform in size throughout its length. j| Young males do
not assume the plumage by which that' sex is distinguished
till their second year.
The trachea of the male is twelve inches in length. The
vignette below represents that surface of the labyrinth and
tympanum which is nearest the back of the bird.
NATATORES. COLYMB1DÆ.
wmâ
RSI
m
T H E GREAT-CRESTED GREBE.
Podteeps cristatus^ Great-crested Grebe, Penn. Brit. Zool. vol. ii. p. 130.
urinator,
cristatus,
tippet
crested
>>
tippet
crested
Grèbe huppé,
Mont. Omith. Diet.
Bewick, Brit. Birds, vol. ii. p. 161.
„ 163.
F l em . Brit. An. p. 131.
Selby, Brit. Omith. vol. ii. p. 394.
J enyns, Brit. Vert. p. 251.
Gould, Birds of Europe, p t ix.
Temm. Man. d ’Omith, vol. ii. p. 717.
Podiceps. Generic Character.— Bill of moderate length, straight, hard,
slightly compressed, pointed, forming an elongated cone. Nostrils lateral,
concave, oblong, open in front and perforate, closed behind by a membrane.
Legs and feet long, attached behind the centre of g ra v ity ; tarsi very much
compressed • three toes in front, one behind ; anterior toes very much flattened,
united a t the base, surrounded by an extended membrane ; hind toe also
flattened, articulated on the inner surface of the ta rs u s ; claws large, fla t No
true tail. Wings short, first three primaries nearly equal in length, and tire
longest in the wing.