PHAETON. BIRDS. 325 



lars, and wing-coverts brownish ; lower part of the neck, sides, 

 and wing-coverts with oval white spots ; scapulars streaked lon- 

 gitudinally with white ; a dull rufous bar across the breast ; 

 belly, quills, and tail black ; bill dusky yellow, covered at the 

 base with a skin of the same colour. 3 feet 3 inches long. 

 Shaw, xiii. pi. 15. 



P. anhinga, Lin. The White-bellied Darter. Head small, and 

 neck long and slender ; throat and fore part of the neck gray ; 

 upper part of the back and scapulars dusky-black ; lower part of 

 the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts black ; under parts pure 

 silvery- white ; tail of twelve broad glossy black feathers. 2 feet 

 10 inches long. Inhabits Brazil. Shaw, xiii. 132. 



Gen. 18. PHAETON, Lin. 



Bill as long as the head, thick, stout, hard, sharp-edged, much 

 compressed, pointed, slightly sloped from the base ; edges of 

 the mandibles widened at the base, compressed and serrated 

 in the rest of their length ; nostrils basal, lateral, covered 

 above and near the base by a naked membrane, and pervious ; 

 legs very short, placed far back, all the toes connected by a 

 web ; wings long ; tail short, but the two filamentous middle 

 feathers very long. 



P. phcenicurus, Lin. Common Tropic Bird. Plumage of a roseate 

 flesh-colour ; bill, and two middle tail-feathers red ; superciliary 

 band and the legs black ; two middle tail-feathers very long. 2 

 feet 10 inches long, including tail-feathers. Inhabits South Seas. 

 Shaw, xiii. pi. 14. 



These birds are well known to navigators, and generally announce their approach 

 to the tropics. They are capable of supporting long flights, and of reposing on the 

 water, feeding on the flying and other fishes that approach the surface. They rarely 

 alight on the ground, and walk awkwardly ; but they glide through the air or along 

 the water with grace and agility. They breed in desert or unfrequented islands. 



Gen. 19. COLYMBUS, Lath. 



Bill of medium size, straight, very pointed, compressed ; nos- 

 trils basal, lateral, concave, oblong, half closed by a mem- 

 brane ; legs placed far behind ; tarsi compressed ; the three 

 fore toes very long, and webbed ; the hinder short, with a loose 

 rudimentary web ; wings short ; tail very short and rounded. 



The species of this genus reside chiefly in the water, and are almost habitual di- 

 vers. On the land, which they scarcely ever visit but in the breeding season, they 

 walk with difficulty. They nestle on small islands or headlands, generally lay two 

 eggs, and devour quantities of fish and their fry, marine insects, and even vegetable 

 productions. The plumage of the young is very different from that of the adult birds. 



C. glacialis, Lin. Great Northern Diver. Head, throat, and neck 

 greenish black, with bluish reflections ; back, wings, flanks, and 

 rump deep black ; feathers of the back and scapulars with two 

 white square spots at the extremity ; breast and lower parts white ; 

 upper mandible almost straight, the under bent upwards, broad 



