GENUS 101. PLOTUS. DARTKR. 



SPECIES. P. JLNHINGA. 



DARTER OR SNAKE-BIRD.* 



[Plate LXXIV. Fig. 1, Male.-] 



Plutns anhinga, LINN. Syst. ed. 12, torn, i, p. 218. GMEL. Syst. 

 i, p. 580, 1. Ind. Orn. p. 895, 1. Flotus melanogaster, Id. p. 

 896, var. B, var. C. JHnhinga Brasiliensibus Tupinamb. MARO 

 GRAV. Hist. Nat. Bras. p. 218. L'dnhinga, Buiss. vi, p. 476. 

 SALEKNE, /;. 575. BuFF.-0is. viu, p. 448. Jlnhinga noir de 

 Cayenne, PL Enl.SQQ. White-bellied Darter, LATH. Gen. Syn. 

 in, p. 622, 1. Black-bellied Darter, Id. p. 624, var. JH.pl. 106. 

 Id. p. 625, var. B. Colyinbus colubrinus, Snake-bird, BARTRAM, 

 p. 132. 295. PEALE'S Museum, No, 3188, Male. 



HEAD, neck, whole body above and below, of a deep shining 

 black, with a green gloss, the plumage extremely soft, and 

 agreeable to the touch; the commencement of the back is orna- 

 mented with small oblong ashy white spots, which pass down 

 the shoulders, increasing in size according to the size of the 

 feathers, and running down the scapulars; wings and tail of a 

 shining black, the latter broadly tipped with dirty white; the 

 lesser coverts are glossed with green, and are spotted with ashy 

 white; the last row of the lesser coverts, and the coverts of the 

 secondaries, are chiefly ashy white, which forms a large bar 

 across the wing; the outer web of the large scapulars is crimped; 

 tail rounded, the two under feathers the shortest, the two upper 

 feathers, for the greater part of their length, beautifully crimped 

 on their outer webs, the two next feathers in a slight degree so; 

 bill dusky at the base and above, the upper mandible brownish 

 yellow at the sides, the lower mandible yellow ochre; inside 



* Named in the plate Black-bellied Darter. 



