uo 



VERTEBRATA. 



crimson spots. Tlu- }'>uni( Mnls, covered with !i grayish-white down, are assiduously attended 

 l>V the parents, wlio are thi-n tame, and easily approached. When alarmed, like Gulls, they iis 

 reinlily cast up the contents of their pouch, as those birds do of the stomach." 



6'fHua I'LOTUS : Plolas. — This includes the Z>ar<f/-.v, of which there arc several species: in 



these the general form of the body and 

 feet resembles that of the cormorants; but 

 the head is smaller, and supported upon a 

 very long, slender neck, and the beak is 

 perfectly straight and pointed, with the 

 edges of the mandibles denticulated. The 

 appearance of these birds is so singular, 

 that some of the old voyagers regarded 

 them as anomalous creatures, partaking of 

 the nature of the snake and the duck ; and 

 the Hottentots are said bv Levaillaiit to jjive 

 them the name of SlaiK/e-Hals-Vootjcl, or 

 Snake-necked birds. They are found in the 

 warmer parts of the world, principally in 

 America and Africa, where they haunt the 

 margins of rivers and lakes, perching iip- 

 on the trees, or flying over the surface until 

 a fish comes in sight, when they imme- 

 diately plunge down upon it, and rarely 

 miss their aim. When swimming, the 

 body is generally concealed under "water, 

 and sometimes only the head is visible. 

 Their favorite position is upon the branches 

 of trees overhanging the water, and when 

 disturbed they are said to glide into the 

 water so silently that the agitation of the 

 waves is not greater than would be pro- 

 duced by an eel. 



These birds, like several others of this 

 family, are said to nidificate in trees. 

 The Anhinga or Snake-Bird, P. anhinga — sometimes called Water-Turkey — is two feet ten 

 inches long; color black, with green reflections; found in the fresh waters of the South Atlantic 

 States ; also in South America as far south as Brazil. Xuttall says : " Its long and dark serpent- 

 ine neck and small head, vibrating backward and forward, presents entirely the appearance of a 

 snake, whether seen through the foliage of a tree, or emerging from the still and sluggish stream 

 in which it often swims, with the body wholly immersed to the neck, and on being approached 

 or startled, even that is instantly withdrawn, and sweeping beneath the flood in perfect silence, we 

 at length see it again rise at a distance which defies approach." Another species is the P. 

 Lcvaillanti of Africa, which closely resembles the preceding. 



Genus PHAETON : Phaeton. — This includes the tropic birds, well known to navigators of 

 the tropical seas, called Straw-Tails, and by the French, Paille-en-queue. 



The Common Tropic-Bird, P. o'thereus, seems to belong chiefly to the warmer parts of the At- 

 lantic Ocean. Its body is about the size of a pullet, that is, thirteen inches long from the point 

 of the bill to the insertion of the tail ; the two long, narrow tail-feathers, which constitute a pe- 

 culiarity of the bird, are seven inches. Thus its extreme length is about twenty inches. The 

 plumage is white, with black, wavy lines on the back. Its wings are long, and its flight calm, 

 composed of frequent strokes of the wing. It appears to fly by night as well as by day, and 

 probably often continues on the wing for as much as twelve hours at a time. These birds are 

 often seen far out at sea ; in general, however, they return to the land at night. They live chiefly 



THE ANHINGA OR SNAKB-BIRD. 



