342 V FOREIGN BIRDS. .^.7^/7/ 



The Wiiite-bellied-Darter(^*) his power display'd; 

 The Terns (") noisy, daring, of nought were afraid. 



The CarM«ctt/afa, Caruncut.ateu-Chatterer, Bell-Bird, 

 or Campanero^ is twelve inches long ; the whole plumage in the 

 male white, in the female olive-green ; on the forehead a fleshy 

 caruncle or lube, nearly three inches long, which may be 

 erected at pleasure ; when filled with air it looks like a spire, 

 when empty it becomes pendulous like that of a turkey-cock ; 

 it is jet black, dotted all over with small white feathers; nest 

 on tall trees ; eggs four, greenish j voice so loud as to bo heard 

 for half a league ; Waterton says three miles! notes composed 

 of two syllables — /n, /!n, uttered in a drawling tone ; it has 

 been compared, as in the variegated species, to the sound of a 

 bell, and hence one of its names ; inhabits South America, par- 

 ticularly Guiana. 



The Murasing-Chatterer is found at Calcutta. 



C) Order, Anseres, (Limw.) Darter, Ahinga. 



The genus Plotus, {Linn.) or Darter, consists of a very 

 few species ; five have been described ; they have a straight, 

 pointed, toothed bill; the nostrils with a little slit near the 

 base ; face and chin naked ; legs short ; all the toes connected ; 

 they have also a small head and slender neck, and are chiefly 

 seen in southern climates ; they live principally on fishes, which 

 they take by darting forward the head, while the neck is con- 

 tracted like the body of a serpent. 



The AnhingUy White-bellied-Darter, Ahinga, or Snake- 

 bird, has the body above black ; belly white ; head, neck, and 

 breast, reddish-grey ; tail-feathers twelve, broad, long ; two 

 feet ten inches long ; inhabits Brazil, and many other parts of 

 America ; builds on trees ; when at rest sits with the head 

 drawn in between the shoulders ; flesh oily and rancid. The 

 Melanogaster, or Black-bellied-Darter, is three feet long; 

 inhabits Ceylon and Japan; three or four other varieties 



