70 



AX AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK. 



F. (50. PLOTIDAE (1), DARTERS, Water-Turkey, 4 sp. — 



2(1)A., l(0)O.,2(0)P.,l(0)E., l(0)Nc., 1(0)N1. 



1 147 Australian Darter, Snake-bird, Diver (e), Shag (e), 



4 Plotus {Anhinga) 7iovae-hollandiae, N.G., A., N.Z. 



r. lagoons, bays 36 

 Head, long thin neck, upper, under greenish-black; white 

 patch side of neck; wings spotted whitish; bill straight, 

 sharp; tail long; f., light-brown neck, breast. Fish. 



The next family contains the famous "Boobies" of sailors — the 

 stupid Gannets, or Solan Geese, that were too stupid to escape 

 from danger. Gould says our Gannet out-boobies the Booby, for 

 he landed on a flat rock and secured five specimens by hand before 

 the rest shuffled over the edge of the cliff and took flight. The 

 Australian bird can scarcely be distinguished from its British 

 cousin. It is common in Australian seas, where it can be seen 

 diving for fish or flying swiftly round looking for prey. There 

 is a large Gannet rookery on Cat Island, east of Flinders Island, 

 where probably 4000 pairs of these fine birds nest each year. 

 This was visited by a party of ornithologists in the Manawatu in 

 1908. 



The famous Frigate-Bird we read of in the old school readers 

 was twice taken in Port Phillip Bay. It is the best of flyers, as 

 it can "breakfast on the Senegal (Africa), and dine on the 

 Amazon." The two Frigate-Birds are common in Australian 

 tropical seas. As already mentioned we met the Frigate Bird on 



