History of British animals - University of Guam Marine Laboratory

Colymbus. BIRDS. PALMIPIDES. 133ridge of the lower mandible sloping upwards, giving the bill a recurved aspectthe ; grove at the symphysis continued to within about 3 lines of the tip.Feet, on'the outside, dusky ; pale within. Irides brown. Tongue entire,pointed. Vermiform appendages I inch long, and upwards of ^ inch broad.Head and neck black, the latter with two collars, white, freckled with black.Back black, with white spots. Breast and belly white. Tail of 20 leathers.Female similar, but less Nest on the margin of fresh-water lakes. Eggs 2,isabella yellow, with purplish-grey spots. Young differ in the plumage above,being brownish-black, freckled with grey on the cheeks, and the feathers onthe back edged with grey ; below, white, with a dusky bar across the vent.In this state it is the C. immer of Linne. The black on the neck, the collars,and the white spots on the back, appear as the bird approaches maturity,which it reaches at the age of 3 years.— The young of this species are commonin Zetland, during winter, while old birds seldom occur. In Orkney,however, both old and young birds abound at that season. The old birdsvisit the Frith of Forth in winter, following the herrings. The young birdsare occasionally seen in summer in the Zetland seas, and I observed one offthe coast of Waterford, 28th July 1816.212. C. arcticus. Black-throated Diver.— Bill upwards of3 inches in length flat above the nostrils ; ;groove of the symphysisreaching to the end of the lower mandible.Will. Orn. 258. Sibb. Scot. 20. Linn. Syst.i. 221. Pcnn. Brit. Zoolii. 527. Temm. Orn. ii. 913.—A winter visitant.Length 27, breadth 44 inches ; weight 4 pounds. Bill black, nearly 3£ incheslong, rounded, blunt. Feet brown outwardly, whitish within. Irides brown.Front, throat, fore-neck, back, and rump, black. Crown and nape grey. Sidesof the neck spotted black and white. Sides of the back scapulars and* wingj-coversblack, with white spots. Tail feathers 20. Female similar Nest onthe margin of lakes. Eggs 2, white, with distant black spots. The youngare dusky above, and white below, at first ; the head then becomes grey, andthe sides of the neck freckled with black. At two years, the black on thefore-neck, and the black and white of the back, make their appearance andthe ;plumage is complete in 3 years. When approaching maturity, it appearsto be the Second Speckled Diver of Bewick.213. C. scptentrwnalis. Red-throated Diver.— Bill scarcely3 inches long, slender, pointed, subrecurved; groove of thesymphysis of the lower mandible very short.Linn. Syst.i. 220. Penn. Brit. Zool. ii. 526, Temm. Orn. ii. 916.— S,Bain Goose—Breeds in Orkney and Zetland. A winter visitant ofthe Thames.Length 24, breadth 41 inches; weight upwards of 3 pounds. Bill black,much more pointed, slender, and recurved, than the two preceding species ;the margins are much incurved. Legs black without, whitish on the inside.Irides reddish-brown. Crown, nape, and back of the neck, purplish-black,£he edges of the feathers white and raised. Chin, cheeks, and sides of theneck, dark grey. Fore-neck brownish-red ; above, olive-black, with pale edges ;wing covers dusky, with white spots. Breast and belly silvery. Vent Avith ablack bar. Tail of 20 feathers ; the under covers black, with pale edges. Femalesimilar—Nest on the margin of lakes.Eggs 2, olive brown, with brownspots. Young, at first, dusky above, whitish below ; they then assume thegrey on the head, and become spotted on the back ; and, on approaching maturity,the red on the throat appears. In its immature state it is the " FirstSpeckled Diver" of Bewick. Linnaeus states, that, in Sweden, the BlackThroated Diver was considered as the male of this species. I have seen thelied and Black Throated Divers in company with a young bird, and had evi-