FEMALE SNAKE-BIRD. 377 



those of the male, except that the colour and markings were 

 not so pure and distinct; length thirty-six inches, extent forty- 

 six. These birds frequent the ponds, rivers and creeks, during 

 the summer; build in the trees of the swamps, and those of the 

 islands in the ponds; they construct their nests of sticks; eggs 

 of a sky blue colour. I inspected a nest, which was not very 

 large, it contained two eggs and six young ones, the latter vary- 

 ing much in size; they will occupy the same tree for a series of 

 years. They commonly sit on a stump, which rises out of the 

 water, in the mornings of the spring, and spread their wings 

 to the sun, from which circumstance they have obtained the 

 appellation of Sun-birds. They are difficult to be shot when 

 swimming, in consequence of only their heads being above the 

 water." 



Never having seen a specimen of the Black -bellied Darter of 

 Senegal and Java, I cannot give an opinion touching its identity 

 with ours.* 



* From Mr. Ord's Supplementary Volume, 



