In the preparation of the following pages both author and artist have had full access to the collections of the American Museum of Natural History, and they are also glad to acknowledge their indebtedness to William Brewster of Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Robert Ridgway, Curator of Birds in the United States National Museum, and to C. Hart Merriam, Chief of the Biologic Survey, for the loan of specimens for description and illustration.
SYNOPSIS OF ORDERS AND FAMILIES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS.
The figures are all life-size, except as stated.
WATER BIRDS.
Order I. Grebes, Loons, and Auks. PYGOPODES.
(3 families, 32 species, 3 subspecies.)
Duck-like birds with the bill usually pointed, never wider than high, and without flutings, 'gutters,' or serrations on its side; wings short, never with a bright colored patch or 'speculum'; tail rudimentary, not noticeable; toes webbed or lobed. Color usually blackish above, white below; the throat often dark. The Grebes and Loons, when pursued, dive rather than fly; the Auks usually take wing.
Family 1. GREBES. PODICIPIDÆ.