GENUS IV. MERGULUS, Ray. SEA-DOVE
Bill shorter than the head, stout, nearly straight, subpentagonal at the base, compressed towards the end; upper mandible with the dorsal line convexo-declinate, the ridge convex, the sides sloping, the edges sharp and overlapping, the tip rather obtuse; nasal depression short and broad; nostrils basal, oblong; lower mandible with the angle long and wide, the dorsal line ascending, straight, the sides convex, toward the end ascending and flattened, the edges sharp and inclinate, the tip acute, with a sinus behind. Head large, ovate; neck short and thick; body full and compact. Feet short, rather stout; tibia bare for a very short space; tarsus very short, compressed, anteriorly covered with oblique scutella; hind toe wanting; anterior toes connected by entire webs, the third and fourth nearly equal. Claws rather small, moderately arched, compressed, rather acute. Plumage dense, glossy blended. Wings of moderate length, narrow, pointed; the first quill longest; secondaries rounded. Tail very short, slightly rounded, of twelve feathers.
477. 1. Mergulus Alle, Linn. Common Sea-Dove
Plate CCCXXXIX. Male and Female.
Bill black, feet pale flesh-coloured, webs dusky, inside of mouth light yellow; head, upper part of neck, and all the upper surface glossy bluish-black; a small spot on the upper eyelid, another on the lower, several longitudinal streaks on the scapulars, and a bar along the tips of the secondary quills, together with the breast and abdomen, white; feathers on the sides under the wings with the inner webs dusky, lower wing-coverts blackish-grey. In winter, the throat, and lower parts of the cheeks white, sides and fore part of the neck white, the latter barred with blackish-grey; the other parts as in summer, but the black duller.
Male, 71/8, 141/4.
Rare and only during winter along the coast of the United States, from New York to Maine. More abundant along the coast of Nova Scotia, and far at sea. Breeds on the Arctic coasts.
Little Auk, Alca Alle, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. ix. p. 94.
Uria Alle, Bonap. Syn. p. 425.
Little Guillemot, Uria Alle, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 479.
Little Auk or Sea Dove, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 531.
Little Guillemot, Uria Alle, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 304.
GENUS V. URIA, Lath. GUILLEMOT
Bill generally shorter than the head, stout, compressed, tapering, acute; upper mandible with the dorsal line slightly arched; the ridge narrow, broader at the base, the sides sloping, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip a little decurved, with a slight notch; nasal groove broad, feathered; nostrils at its lower edge, subbasal, lateral, longitudinal, linear; lower mandible with the angle rather long, narrow, the dorsal line ascending and straight, the back very narrow, the sides nearly flat, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip acute. Head large, oblong; neck short and thick; body stout, elongated, rather depressed. Feet short, placed far behind; the greater part of the tibia concealed, its lower part bare; tarsus short, stout, compressed, anteriorly scutellate; toes three, of moderate length, middle toe longest, outer little shorter, scutellate, connected by entire webs. Claws small, slightly arched, compressed, rather acute. Plumage dense, very soft, blended. Wings rather short, narrow, acute; primary quills curved, tapering, the first and second longest; secondaries short, rounded. Tail very short, rounded, of twelve or more feathers.
478. 1. Uria antiqua, Gmel. Black-throated Guillemot
Plate CCCCII. Fig. 1. Adult. Fig. 2. Young.
Bill yellow, shorter than the head, rather stout, compressed toward the end, the upper outline arched; feet yellow; head and upper part of neck black, excepting a band of elongated linear feathers beginning over the eye and extending down the hind part of the neck, and a broad band of white commencing behind the ear and curving forwards, to join the white, which is the general colour of the lower parts, with the exception of the flanks, which are black; back, wings, and tail greyish-black. Young, when fledged, with the bill black, the feet dusky; the upper parts blackish-grey, each feather black in the centre, the lower parts greyish-yellow, transversely barred with dusky; the tail broadly tipped with white.
Adult, 101/2, wings, 59/12.
North-west coast of America. Abundant.
Alca antiqua, Gmel. Syst. Nat. v. i. p. 551.
Black-throated Guillemot, Uria antiqua, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 100.
479. 2. Uria occidentalis, Bonap. Horned-billed Guillemot
Plate CCCCII. Fig. 5. Adult.
Bill orange-yellow, shorter than the head, stout, straight, with the dorsal line arched, and an oblong compressed knob on the ridge between the nostrils, which are linear, and placed in the bare skin; feet greyish-yellow; upper parts black, as are the cheeks, the upper part and sides of the fore neck; the lower parts white; two decurved bands of white slender feathers on each side of the head, one commencing over the eye, the other at the angle of the mouth; tail very short, even, of sixteen feathers.
Adult, 151/2, wing, 610/12.
North-west coast of America.
Cerorhyncha occidentalis, Bonap. Syn. p. 428.
Western cerorhyncha, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 538.
Horned-billed Guillemot, Ceratorhyncha occidentalis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 104.
480. 3. Uria Brunnichii, Sabine. Large-billed Guillemot
Plate CCCXLV. Male.
Bill stout, black; feet dusky, tinged with red; general colour of plumage greyish-black on the upper parts; sides of the head and throat tinged with brown; lower fore part of neck, the breast, abdomen, edges of wings and tips of secondaries white; sides streaked with greyish-black. In winter the sides of the head and neck, the fore part of the latter, with the rest of the lower parts white, the sides streaked with greyish-black, and a line of the same behind the eye.
Male, 181/2, 30.
Occasionally procured in Maine. Not very rare off the coast of Nova Scotia. Breeds from Hudson's Bay to the Arctic Seas.
Uria Brunnichii, Bonap. Syn. p. 424.
Uria Brunnichii, Brunnich's Guillemot, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 477.
Large-billed Guillemot, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 529.
Large-billed Guillemot, Uria Brunnichii, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 336.
481. 4. Uria Troile, Linn. Foolish Guillemot. Murre
Plate CCXVIII. Male and Female.
Bill rather stout, black; feet black; general colour of upper parts greyish-black, sides of the head and throat tinged with brown; lower fore neck, breast, abdomen, edges of wings, and tips of secondaries white; sides streaked with greyish-black; a line of white encircling the eye, and extending upwards of an inch behind it, but in some individuals wanting. In winter, the sides of the head and neck, the fore part of the latter, with the lower parts, white.
Male, 171/2, 30.
More or less abundant during winter on the coast of Massachusetts and Maine, rarely as far south as New York. Breeds in vast multitudes on the Rocky Islands of the Gulf of St Lawrence, Newfoundland, and Labrador. Occasionally found in Hudson's Bay.
Uria Troile, Bonap. Syn. p. 424.
Uria Troile, Foolish Guillemot, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 477.
Foolish Guillemot or Murre, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 526.
Foolish Guillemot, Uria Troile, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 142.
482. 5. Uria Grylle, Linn. Black Guillemot
Plate CCXIX. Adult in summer and winter, and Young.
Bill shorter than the head, rather slender, black; feet vermilion, tinged with carmine; general colour of plumage deep black, on the upper parts tinged with green, on the lower with brown; a patch on each wing, including the secondary coverts and some of the small feathers white, of which colour also are the axillars and lower wing-coverts. In winter the general colour of the plumage white; the sides of the head, the neck all round, the lower parts, and the rump being of that colour, more or less shaded with grey; upper part of head obscurely mottled with greyish-black; back and scapulars black, each feather tipped with greyish-white, those of the latter more broadly; wings and tails brownish-black, the former with a conspicuous white patch as in summer. Young at first covered with soft, thick, brownish-black down.
Adult, 137/8, 211/2.
Accidental as far south, on the eastern coast, as New York; not rare from thence eastward, during winter. Breeds from the Bay of Fundy along all the rocky shores, to Labrador, and the highest latitudes, where considerable numbers even spend the winter.
Uria Grylle, Bonap. Syn. p. 423.
Uria Grylle, Black Guillemot, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 523.
Black Guillemot, Uria Grylle, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 148; v. v. p. 627.
483. 4. Uria Townsendii, Aud. Slender-billed Guillemot
Plate CCCCXXX. Male and Female.
Bill shorter than the head, straight, slender, much compressed, acute, black; feet yellow, claws black; plumage very soft, close, blended, as in the other species; wings small, very narrow, convex, falcate; first quill longest; secondaries incurved, obliquely rounded; tail extremely short, narrow, rounded, of twelve weak, rounded feathers. Upper parts brownish-black, the feathers of the back terminally margined with light grey; lower parts, cheeks, a transverse band on the nape, both eyelids, and a longitudinal band on each side, formed by some of the scapulars, white, some dusky streaks on the hind part of the sides, and the lower wing-coverts greyish-brown, some of them whitish. Young in autumn with the upper parts brownish-black, the feathers terminally margined with brown; the occipital band merely indicated by some lighter feathers, and the scapular band brownish or chestnut-red; lower parts of a curious mottled appearance, the feathers being brownish-grey at the end, but in the rest of their extent white, that colour appearing more or less on all the parts, and shewing a patch on the hind part of the sides.
Adult, 10; wing 52/12. Young, in autumn, 93/4; wing 51/12.
Abundant on the north-west coast of America, not far from the Columbia River.
Slender-billed Guillemot, Uria Townsendii, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. v. p. 251.
FAMILY XLV. COLYMBINÆ. DIVERS AND GREBES
Bill of the length of the head, straight, rather stout, much compressed, pointed; upper mandible with the dorsal line declinate, almost straight, or towards the end convex; nasal groove rather long, feathered at the base. Nostrils basal, linear, direct, pervious. Feet stout, short, placed extremely far behind; tarsus extremely compressed; toes four, the first very small, and lobed; the anterior united by webs, which in some are lobed. Plumage dense, short, glossy, generally silky beneath. Wings small, very narrow, acute. Tail very short, sometimes extremely small, and forming a slight tuft. Tongue slender, trigonal, tapering; œsophagus very wide in its whole length, or narrowed in the anterior part with the proventriculus wide; stomach generally large, muscular, with a dense rugous epithelium; intestine rather long and wide; as are the cœca; cloaca globular.
GENUS I. COLYMBUS, Linn. DIVER
Bill as long as the head, straight, rather stout, much compressed, tapering, pointed; upper mandible with the dorsal line descending, and slightly convex towards the end, the ridge convex, narrowed towards the point, the sides nearly erect, convex, the edges sharp and considerably inflected; the tip narrow; nasal groove rather long, feathered at the base. Nostrils basal, linear, direct, pervious; lower mandible with the angle extremely narrow and extending beyond the middle, the dorsal line straight and sloping towards the point, the ridge convex and narrow, the edges sharp and involute, the tip attenuated. Head of moderate size or rather large, oblong, narrowed before; neck rather long and thick; body elongated, much depressed. Feet short, rather large, placed very far back; tibia almost entirely concealed; tarsus short, exceedingly compressed, sharp-edged before and behind, covered all over with reticulated scales; toes four, hind toe extremely small, connected with the second by a very small membrane; anterior toes united by entire membranes, the outer longest, the third a little shorter, all scutellate. Claws very small, depressed, blunt. Plumage short and dense, the feathers in general oblong. Wings very small and narrow, curved, first quill longest, secondaries broad and rounded. Tail extremely short, rounded of more than twelve feathers. Tongue long, trigonal, tapering; œsophagus very wide; proventriculus extremely dilated; stomach rather large, roundish, a little compressed, moderately muscular, with a rather thick, dense, longitudinally rugous epithelium; intestine rather long and wide; cœca rather long and wide; cloaca globular.
484. 1. Colymbus glacialis, Linn. Great Northern Diver. – Loon
Plate CCCVI. Male, and Young in winter.
Adult in summer with the bill black, the feet livid greyish-blue, their inner sides tinged with flesh-colour; head and neck dark greenish-blue with purple gloss; on the throat a small transverse patch of white longitudinally streaked with dusky; above the middle of the neck two large patches of white similarly streaked, separated in front to the distance of an inch, but almost continuous behind; lower parts glossy white, excepting the feathers on the sides under the wings, which are black, each with two, three, or four elliptical white spots, a faint dusky band across the vent, the lower tail-coverts, which are brownish-black tipped with white, and the axillar-feathers and large wing-coverts, which have a dusky streak along the middle; sides of the neck at its lower part longitudinally streaked with black and white; upper parts glossy black, variegated with spots of white in regular transverse slightly curved lines, having the convexity backwards, the spots small and roundish towards the neck and sides, larger and somewhat four-sided along the middle of the back, largest and rectangular on the scapulars, very small and roundish on the hind part of the back and tail-coverts; upper part of wing similar, with smallish spots; alula and quills brownish-black, a few of the inner secondaries only having two white spots at the end of the tail brownish-black, of twenty feathers. Young in winter with the bill pale yellowish-green, the ridge and tip of the upper mandible dusky; upper parts dark greyish-brown, each feather margined with lighter, lower parts white, sides of the neck below streaked with dusky, sides of body dusky, without spots.
Adult, 327/8, 571/2. Young Male, in winter, 311/4, 541/2.
During winter dispersed over the United States, in Texas, as well as along the coasts of the Atlantic, and the north-west. Breeds from Massachusetts northward to very high latitudes. Common.
Great Northern Diver or Loon, Wils. Amer. Orn. v. ix.
Colymbus glacialis, Bonap. Syn. p. 420.
Colymbus glacialis, Great Northern Diver, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 474.
Loon or Great Northern Diver, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 513.
Great Northern Diver or Loon, Colymbus glacialis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 43.
485. 2. Colymbus arcticus, Linn. Black-throated Diver
Plate CCII. Male, Female, and Young in winter.
Adult in summer with the bill black, the feet greyish-blue, the anterior edge of the tarsus, upper surface of toes, and part of the webs, pale livid flesh-colour; fore part and sides of head, throat, and sides of neck light bluish-grey, fore part and sides of head darker; upper parts glossy bluish-black, tinged with green anteriorly, and shaded with brown posteriorly; on the fore part of the back two longitudinal bands of transverse white bars, the feathers being tipped with that colour; the scapulars, excepting the outer, marked in the same manner with transverse rows of rather large square spots; most of the wing-coverts with two roundish spots of white near the end; quills blackish-brown, tinged with grey externally, paler on the inner webs; tail blackish-brown, of eighteen feathers; fore neck to the length of six and a half inches purplish-black, ending angularly below, and with a transverse interrupted band of linear-white spots near the upper part, beyond which the sides of the neck blackish-brown, with several longitudinal white streaks, formed by the edges of the feather; on the lower part of the neck a broad space occupied by their longitudinal dusky and white streaks; lower parts pure white, except a dusky longitudinal band on the sides under the wing. Young in winter with the bill bluish-grey, on the ridge dusky; upper part of head and hind neck dark greyish-brown, sides of head greyish-white, minutely streaked with brown, sides of neck also streaked, its fore part faintly mottled; lower parts white, the sides and lower tail-coverts greyish-brown; upper parts blackish-brown, the feathers broadly edged with pale grey, quills and tail brownish-black.
Male, 29, 391/2.
The young range throughout the interior and along the coast as far as Texas, in autumn and winter. Adult in full plumage very rare. Breeds in high latitudes. Columbia River.
Colymbus arcticus, Bonap. Syn. p. 420.
Colymbus arcticus, Black-throated Diver, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 475.
Black-throated Diver, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 517.
Black-throated Diver, Colymbus arcticus, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iv. p. 345.
486. 3. Colymbus septentrionalis, Linn. Red-throated Diver
Plate CCII. Male in summer, Male in winter, Female, and Young.
Adult, in summer, with the bill bluish-black, the feet brownish-black, anterior part of tarsus, upper surface of toes, and part of webs, livid flesh-colour; fore part and sides of head, throat, and sides of neck, bluish-grey; fore part of neck rich brownish-red; hind part of head and hind neck longitudinally streaked with greenish-black and pure white, each feather black in the middle, with the sides white, the colours disposed in lines; upper parts in general brownish-black, tinged with green, more or less mottled with white, according to age, excepting the primary quills and the tail-feathers, of which there are twenty; lower parts pure white, excepting the feathers on the sides under the wings, some of those about the vent, and the lower tail-coverts, which are greyish-brown, with white margins and tips. Young, in winter, with the fore part of the neck white, or slightly mottled with red; all the feathers of the upper parts with two white spots near the end; tail-feathers edged and tipped with white. Young at first covered with dense elastic down, of a greyish-black colour, tinged with Brown.
Male, 19, 25. Female, 18, 24.
Not uncommon during winter, autumn, and early spring, from Maryland eastward. Breeds in Newfoundland, Labrador, and as far north as the Arctic Seas.
Colymbus septentrionalis, Bonap. Syn. p. 421.
Red-throated Diver, Colymbus septentrionalis, Swains. & Rich. F. Bor. Amer. v. ii. p. 476.
Red-throated Diver, Nutt. Man. v. ii. p. 519.
Red-throated Diver, Colymbus septentrionalis, Aud. Orn. Biog. v. iii. p. 20; v. v. p. 625.
GENUS II. PODICEPS, Lath. GREBE
Bill about the length of the head, or shorter, straight, rather stout, much compressed, tapering, pointed; upper mandible with the dorsal line declinate and more or less convex toward the end, the ridge convex, the sides erect and somewhat convex, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip narrow; nasal groove rather long, extending to nearly half the length of the mandible, feathered at the base; nostrils linear-elliptical, basal, rather small, pervious; lower mandible with the angle long and extremely narrow, the dorsal line ascending and straight, the sides erect and slightly convex, the edges sharp and involute, the tip acute. Head of moderate size, oblong, narrowed before; neck rather long and slender; body long, depressed. Feet short, large, placed close to the extremity of the body; tibia feathered to the joint; tarsus extremely compressed, its anterior edge with a row of small scutella, the sides broadly scutellate, the posterior ridge with a double row of small prominent scales; toes four, first very small, with a posterior membrane, fourth longest, all scutellate, the anterior connected at the base by membranes, and having on both sides an expanded web-like margin, marked with oblique lines. Claws flat, that of the third toe broadest. Plumage very soft and blended, on the lower parts dusky. Wings small acute, curved, the second primary longest, the first little shorter; secondaries short and rounded. Tail a slight tuft of loose feathers, fourteen in number. Tongue slender, trigonal, pointed; œsophagus of moderate width; proventriculus very large, ovate; stomach extremely large, roundish, its muscular coat thin; the epithelium thick, soft, rugous; a small pyloric sac; intestine of moderate length and width; cœca rather long, slender; cloaca very large, globular. Bronchi with the rings entire and ossified.