4. Colymbus nigricollis californicus. 13 inches.
This is a western species rarely found east of the Mississippi. In summer, it differs from the last in having the entire neck black; in winter it can always be distinguished from the [Horned Grebe] by its slightly upcurved bill, while the upper mandible of the last is convex. In powers of swimming and diving, grebes are not surpassed by any of our water birds. They dive at the flash of a gun and swim long distances before coming to the surface; on this account they are often called “devil divers.” They fly swiftly when once a-wing, but their concave wings are so small that they have to patter over the water with their feet in order to rise.
Nest.—They nest in colonies, often in the same sloughs with [Horned] and [Western Grebes], laying their eggs early in June. The 4 to 7 eggs are dull white, usually stained brownish, and cannot be separated from those of the last.
Range.—Western N. A., breeding from Texas to Manitoba and British Columbia; winters in western U. S. and Mexico.
LEAST OR ST. DOMINGO GREBE
5. Colymbus dominions brachypterus. 10 inches.
This is much smaller than any others of our grebes; in breeding plumage it most nearly resembles the following species, but the bill is black and sharply pointed. It has a black patch on the throat, and the crown and back of the head are glossy blue black; in winter, the throat and sides of the head are white.
Nest.—Not different from those of the other grebes. Only comparatively few of them breed in the U. S. but they are common in Mexico and Central America. Their eggs, when first laid, are a pale, chalky, greenish white, but they soon become discolored and stained so that they are a deep brownish, more so than any of the others; from 3 to 6 eggs is a full complement (1.40 × .95).
Range.—Found in the United States, only in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Southern Texas, and southwards to northern South America.