68 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
green coloration ; P. c. sinensis Shaw and Nodder, from China and Japan, in its 
small size and generally oily-green coloration ; P. c. novehollandie Stephens from 
Australia in its deep oily-green coloration and sparse nuptial ornaments, rarely 
observed due to their evanescent nature; and P. c. steadi Mathews and Iredale, from 
New Zealand, like the preceding generally, but of smaller size. 
Famity ANHINGIDA. 
Only one genus was admitted in this family, but it is possible that the four 
species may prove to represent different genera as the internal characters differ 
somewhat appreciably according to good workers. The peculiar mechanism of the 
neck is common to all, but ‘“‘ Dénitz’s bridge,” as it is called, is fibrous in the type, 
ossified in the others. There is said to be no expansor secundariorum in the wing, 
while rudiments exist in the members of the preceding family. Again, only one, 
the left, carotid is recorded in this group, while both are always found in the 
Phalacrocoracide. Here it may be noted that some of these records refer to only 
one species, while the absence of an independent tongue must be noted, and also 
the peculiarities of the syrinx. 
Genus ANHINGA. 
Anhinga Brisson, Ornith., Vol. I., p. 60, Vol. VI., p. 476, 1760. Type (by tautonymy) : 
Anhinga = Plotus anhinga Linné. 
Plotus Linné, Syst. Nat., 12th ed., p. 218, (pref. May 24th) 1766. Type (by monotypy): 
P.anhinga Linné. 
Plottus Scopoli, Introd. Hist. Nat., p. 474, 1777. Type (by monotypy): A. anhinga. 
Notoplotus, Mathews, Birds Austr., Suppl. No. 1, Check List, p. 62, Feb. 16th, 1920. Type 
(by original designation): Plotus novehollandie Gould. 
Large slender birds with very small heads and very long necks, long thin pointed 
bills, long wings, long stiff tail, short legs and long toes, totipalmate. 
The bill is very long and thin, straight and pointed, longer than the head and 
more than one and a half times the length of the metatarsus, compressed laterally 
and the edges of both mandibles are finely serrated. The loral space is naked 
and there is a small gular pouch ; the nostrils obsolete in an ill-defined groove. The 
neck is very long and the body slender. The wings are long, the second and third 
primaries subequal and longest, the first shorter than the fourth. The tail is very 
long, composed of twelve broad stiff feathers, fairly evenly rounded, the outside 
feather rather short. The legs are very stout and short; the metatarsus is less 
than one-fourth the length of the tail, coarsely reticulate on the front and sides but 
minutely reticulate on the back. The toes are long, the middle almost as long as 
the outer one, hind-toe connected with others by a web ; all the toes therefore are 
fully webbed. The outer toe is little longer than the middle one, and is about one 
and a half times the length of the metatarsus ; the middle claw is finely pectinate. 
An extraordinary feature is the wrinkling of the two centre tail-feathers and 
the longest secondaries. 
The Darters, though superficially unlike, have been shown to be specialised 
Cormorants, and show the closest relationship of any of the totipalmate group. 
51. Anhinga novehollandie.—DARTER. 
Gould, Vol. VII., pl. 75 (pt. xxvu.), Sept. Ist, 1847. Mathews, Vol. IV., pt. 3, pl. 224, 
June 23rd, 1915. 
Plotus novehollandie Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1847, p. 34, April 27th: New South 
Wales. 
Plotus novehollandie derbyi Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. I., pt. 3, p. 74, June 28th, 
1912: Derby, North-west Australia. 
DistripuTron.—Australia generally. Not Tasmania. 
