[ 622 ]
G e n u s XCVI.
1. White-bellied D.
2. Black-bellied D.
V a r . A .
d a r t e r .
V a r . B. Black D.
V a r . C . Rufous D.
3. Surinam D.
BI L L long, ftrait, fharp-pointed.
Noftrils, a long flit placed near the bafe.
Face and chin bare of feathers *.
Neck of a very great length.
Legs Ihort: toes four in number, all webbed together.
i.
WHITE-BELLIED
D.
Plotus Anhinga, Lin. Syft. i. ,p. 218. 1.
L’Anhinga, Brif. Or„. vi. p. Buf. Oif. viii. p. 4+8.-X a ii Synp.
124. 7.— m il. On. p. 332. pi. 72-
D i s c r e t io n . 'T ’H IS is fcarce fo big as a Mallard in the body, but meafures
"*■ in length, from the point of the bill to the end of the tail, no
j e f s than two feet ten inches. The bill is three inches long, ftrait,
• Linnauslays, that the face is. cloathed with feathers, perhaps concluding it
to be the cafe, from former authors not having faid to the contrary! but as we
have had ocular demonftration of the face being covered only with a iarejkm, in
three fpecimens of the Uad-lellitd one, from which our figure was taken, there
appears the greateft probability of its being the fame alfo in the ■ uihiti-hcllud fpe-
cies, firft defcribed ; efpecially as the fimilarity of all of them to one another, in
general markings,» fo great as to give reafon for the left fcrupulous Onithologift
to place them as varieties arifing from fcx, age, or climate. In the laft, or Surinam
fpecies, the face is well covered with feathers; but this bird is a fpecies
fomewhat anomalous, and only taken in here as being theg,mi to which it has
the neared alliance.
2 and
D A R T E R . 6 2 3
and pointed, the edges jagged, the colour greyilh,. with ayellowifh
bafe r the irides gold-colour: the head is very fmall, and the
neck flender, of a great length, and covered with downy foft feathers
of a rufous grey colour; but the throat, and fore part of the
neck, are grey : the upper part of the back and fcapulars are dufky
black, the middle of the feathers dalhed with white: the lower
part of the back, rump, and upper tail coverts, of a fine black : all
the under parts, from the breaft, pure filvery white : the leffer and
middle wing coverts are like the upper part of the back; the
larger ones neareft the body black, fpotted with white; but the
cuter ones are plain black: the tail confifts o f twelve pretty
broad and long feathers, of a glofiy black: legs and toes of a yel-
lowifh grey.
Inhabits Brajil. Is faid to be very cunning in catching fijh ;
for, after the manner offerpents, firft drawing up its neck, it darts-
forth the bill upon the fijh, and catches them in its claws. This
bird, like the Corvorant, builds the neft on trees, and roofts on
them at night, in the manner of that bird ; and if not on the water,
is for the mod part feen on the higheft branches of thofe which
grow in the moift Javannas or river fides, being fcarce ever feen on
the ground. When at reft, frequently fits with the neck drawn
in between the Ihoulders, in the manner of the Heron, whereby the
breaft appears much fuller than it naturally is, and the neck con-
fiderably Ihorter. The flelh is faid to be for the moft part very
fat, but o f an oily, rank, and difagreeable tafte *.
• Not better than that of a Gal. Marcgrave.— See Will. Orn. p. 332*
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