HELIORNIS. 509 



like lumps of lead, diving often entirely beyond the view 

 before they again emerge. According to Bartram, they 

 are sometimes seen in the heat of the day, in great num- 

 bers, sailing very high in the air over the lakes and rivers. 

 Their flesh, like that of most birds of similar habits and 

 diet, is considered as very unpalatable. 



The length of the Black-Bellied Darter is about 2 feet 10 inches. 

 The bill to the angle of the mouth 4 inches. The head, neck, and 

 whole body above and below of a deep and shining black, with 

 a green reflection. On the upper part of the back are some small 

 oblong, ashy-white spots, which pass down the shoulders, increas- 

 ing in size, with the relative magnitude of the feathers, and descend- 

 ing down the scapulars. Wings and tail black, the latter broadly tip- 

 ped with soiled white. The lesser coverts of the wings glossed with 

 green, and also spotted with ashy- white ; the last row of the lesser 

 coverts, and the coverts of the secondaries, chiefly ashy- white, 

 forming a large bar across the wing. The outer web of the large 

 scapulars is crimped. Tail rounded, the two outer feathers for the 

 greatest part of their length, crimped on their outer webs, the two next 

 feathers are in a slight degree so. Bill dusky above and at the base ; 

 the upper mandible brownish-yellow at the sides, the lower yellow. 

 Irids brown. The orbit of the eye next to the plumage of the head 

 is of a greenish blue color, and this passes round in the form of a zig- 

 zag band across the front, the next color which surrounds the whole 

 eye is black. Eyelids bright azure. Lores greenish-blue. Naked 

 akin in front black ; jugular pouch jet black. The nape partly crest- 

 ed. Along the sides of the neck there runs a line of loose un- 

 webbed feathers of a dull ash color, resembling the plumage of cal- 

 low young. — The neck near its centre, takes a bend in order to 

 enable the bird to dart forward its bill with velocity when it takes its 

 prey. Legs and feet yellowish clay color : claws greatly hooked. 

 The closed wings extend to the centre of the tail. 



HELIORNIS. Bonaterre. Vieill (Podoa, Illig.) 



With the bill of moderate dimensions, straight, cylindric-com- 

 pressed, subulate, somewhat curved and notched at tip, acute ; the 

 43* 



