548 



PALMIPEDES. 



expei-t ill diving, and goes down so adroitly, and come^'^ 

 up in the most unlikely places, that the people, tliough 

 most skilful in the management of the canoes, can rarely 

 secure them. The tail of the Darter is remarkably pro- 

 longed, and capable of being bent so as to act botli as a 

 rudder in swimming and as a lever to lift the bird high 

 enough out of the water to give scope for its wings, so 

 that it can rise at will by means of this appendage." — 

 {" Missionary Travels in South Africa.'''') 



The typical species of the sub-family is — 



The White-bellied Darter (Plotns Anhinga). 





