ANHINGID.E THE ANHINGAS. 207 



FAMILY ANHINGID^E. THE ANHINGAS. 



CHAEACTEBS. Bill slander, pointed, compressed, and very heron-like in shape, the 

 culmen and commissure almost straight, the gonvs slightly ascending; terminal half of 

 the tomia finely serrated, the serrations directed backward, and forming a series of 

 close-set, sharp-pointed, fine bristly teeth; nostrils obliterated. Head small, neck slender 

 and greatly elongated (nearly as long as the wing) ; outer toe about as long as the 

 middle, or slightly shorter. Tail very long, fan-shaped, rounded, the feathers widened 

 toward the ends, the outer webs of the intermedia in fully adult birds transverely cor- 

 rugated or "fluted." 



This singular family consists of but one genus, Anfvmga, which 

 has a representative in the warmer parts of each of the great 

 divisions of the earth. 



GENUS ANHINGA BKISSON. 



Anhinga BKISS. Orn. vi. 1760, 476. Type, Anhinga N.^'RCQR., Plotus anhinga LINN. 

 Plotus LINN. Syst. Nat. ed. 12, i, 1766, 218. Type, P. anhinga LINN. 



GEN. CHAE. The same as those of the family (see above). 



Only one species of this genus occurs in America. This is rep- 

 resented in Africa by the A. levaillantii, LICHT.; in India by 

 A. melanogaster, GMEL.; and in Australia by A. novce-hollandice, 

 GOULD. They all closely resemble A. anhinga, but are quite 

 distinct. 



Anhinga anhinga Linn. 



ANHINGA. 



PoDular synomyms. American Anhinga; Snake Bird; Black-bellied Darter; Darter; 

 Water Crow (mouth of the Mississippi); Water Turkey; Grecian Lady (Florida); 

 Bee a Lancette (Louisiana French). 



Plotus anhinga LINK. S. N. ed. 12, i, 1766, 218. NUTT. Man. ii, 1834, 507. BONAP. Consp. 

 ii. 1855, 180. AUD. Orn. Biog. iv, 1838, J36; Synop. 1839, 306; B. Am. vi. 1813. 443, pi. 

 420. LAWB. in Baird's B. N. Am. 1858, 883. BAIBD, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, No. 628. 

 COUES, Key, 1872,306; Check List, 1873, No. 536; 2d ed. 1882. No. 76G. RIDGW. Nom. 

 N. Am. B. 1881, No. 649.-B. B. & B. Water B. N. Am. ii, 1881, 166. 

 Anhinga anhinga STEJN. Stand. Nat. Hist, iv, 1885, 193. A. O. U. Check List, 1886, No. 



118. BIDGW. Man. N. Am. B. 1887, 77. 

 f lotus me lanoo aster WILB. Am. Orn. ix, 1824, 73, 82, pi. 74 (not of 



