156 ANHINGA OR SNAKE-BIRD.
the e«É§thè skim of the, throat is: hare and dilated, like that 46 the
Cormorants.. The plumage of the head, neck, .ami hotly,' is close,
hlended, and of a silky texture ; the; feathers »Wong, rounded,, with
tào filament: disunited toward the end. On' each-side of the neckyfrom
near the eye to half dts .lengihjf is a scries of elongated narrow loose
feathers, a i'cnv of which arc also dispersed over the hack of the neck,
and which in the breeding season- ape an inch and a quarter in length.
The scapulars, which arc voryjmmerous, are elongated, lanceolate, tapering
to a point, compact, stiffish, elastic, highly gradually
;;
increasing in size backwards, the.outer web of the birgost, crimped.
Wings pf.moderate length and breadth, primaries strong, firm, considerably
curved, the third'longest, the second almost ias-long, the.fiist a
little shorter than the f o u r t h t h e second, third, and "fourth cut out on
the outer web. Secondaries a little'¿ecuA'e&S broad, rdun'de'd aiulacuminatu
; the inner elongated, stntiglitish, acuminate, and resembling
the posterior isçapulars. Tail very long, narrow,rf tweh (^straight
feathers h a y i n g ^ pM shafts, and merpjsing m ^readth frgja the ^pe
to the e4d, whiph rojmded and v,ery broad, ||he tjvo middle feathers
have their outer webs curiously marked with tra;vsVMi*e. alternat« ridges
.and, depressions. -. ,
• • mandible dusky, (,4iyo, the edges. yellow ; lowej mandible
bright yellow, thgje^ggs and tips gseepish j( bare .space about the eye
blaish..grs!tui.;. gu!iir.,spe, .bright tirango. . Iris bright, carmine. Tarsi
aniLi to.es anteriorly dusky oiivtytho bind parts and yellow ; claws
brown ish-hlaek.. The; general colour of. the;head,,neck, and body, is
glossy blackish-green ; of ¡ffig ¡scapular*, wings, and tail, glassy bluish-
H | H 'rile long Ujose. leathers on the. nock,are purplish-white or pale
lilac. The lower part. of. the noçk behind marked with very nuirmr
B H B B B B f f l U H B of white ;. Jj-hicli form. two broad bands extending
backwards, and gradually b$j|p{ig.m»re elongated, there being,
one along the <jen.tr,e..of each feather including the scapulars. The
smaller. wing-coverts arc similarly marked with broader white spots
disposed.in.regular riffs.j, the four last of which have merely a central
line towards the tip, while the inner has a broad blind extending from
near the base over/lje outer half of the inner web, and towards .the end
including a portion <)f the .outer wfeb ; the first row of small coverts,
and the secondary coverts arc white! excepting the portion of the inner
web. The five inner elongated secondaries are marked with a narrow
ANHINGA OR SNAKE-BIRD. 157
white band, occupying the inner half of tlieouter web, from about an
inch-from their base to the extremity, near which it includes a part of
the ffifc» web. The tail-fcathers tipped with a band of browaish-red,
fading into white. ... .'
•! Length*to end of tail 35f inches,' to'Sad of wings''30i, to end of
claws 281/ '« carpus 17* ; extent of wings-11 wing from flexure 14 ;
tail n. i ; ' bilf along tho' Sdge 3J, along the edge of lower mandible
3ɧS tarsus ; hind tee'«, its claw ; s&orid'trie t its d a w f f ;
third t f e 2A, its claw''ftfafourth t # 2f| , its elaw f | . WéigM-8i lb.
Adult FeraUlfê Plate CGCX.VI. Fig. 2. The female has the plumage
•similar in that of the male, but'only a few "inconspicuous
'elongated feathers olftfie neck. ' The ¡bill is lighter than m the male,
the naked part around the eye darker, tlm eye and guïar'saë as in the
m-ai'tf-; as are thri feet. The upper part of th.; head and the hind neck
are dull greenish brown, lighter at the lower part, tlfo fore part of the
nock'is pale reddish-brown, tinged with grey, lighter ¿ i ffife throat ; this
cdlour emends over part of ihe breast, an inch and à half beyond the
carpal joint, and terminates abruptly in a transverso'band of deep reddish
chestnut; the rest of the lower parts as in the male, as aïe the
upper, only the fore part of the back is tinged with brown, and its
Spot's less distinct.' '
Length to end of tail 34 inches, to mid of wings 2i)j, to end of
claws 27| ; to eaïpal joint 16i; extent of wings 43. Weight 2 lb-
In external appearance and habits, the SnaMe-bird is very nearly
allied to the Cormorants. The structure of the feet is essentially the
same in both .genera, as is that of the wings and tail, the latter however
being more elongated in the Anhinga, in correspondence with the
neck. If one might suppose a small Cormorant elongated and attenu-
• -ated, with the feet rather enlarged but shortened, the head diminished
in size, and the bill formed more on the model of that of a
Heron, being destitute of the distinct ridge and curved unguis, he
would form a pretty correct notion of this bird. Not only is the bill
like that of a Heron, but thé vertebra! of the neck are very similar to
those of that family, and form the saine abrupt curvatures between
the seVenth and eighth vertebrae. But all the other bones are those