152 ANHINGA OR SNAKE-BIRD. 
would open its mouth to suffer the little one to thrust its whole head 
down the throat of its brother, from which it would receive the fish 
that the latter had previously swallowed. In this singular manner did 
the larger bird, which after awhile proved to be a male, continue to act 
as if the foster-parent of his little sister, which indeed seemed to be 
thrown upon his protection. The one still in my possession is fed 
on fish, which it picks up, tosses a few times in the air, and swallows 
at the first convenient opportunity, that is when the fish falls towards 
its mouth head foremost. At the onset, when the fish was large, I had it 
cut into pieces, thinking that the apparent slenderness of the bird’s neck 
could not expand enough to swallow it whole; but I soon ascertained that 
this was unnecessary. Fish three times the size of the neck were tossed 
in the expanded jaws and gobbled at once, and immediately after, the bird 
would come to my feet, clicking its bill in such an unequivocal man- 
ner that I never failed to give it more. My pet was tame from the 
beginning of its captivity, and followed me about the house, the 
yard, and garden, until I thought it quite troublesome in consequence 
of its peculiar attachment tome. The one given to our friend was 
fed on fish and raw beef; but although it grew to its full size, never 
seemed to thrive as well as the one I had, and finally died of an af- 
fection causing spasms. This was a female, and although less bright 
in colour than the adult of the same sex, the two middle feathers of 
her tail were partially crimped, and her markings were the same. 
While in the young state I frequently carried it to a pond, believing 
that it would relish the water, and would improve in health ; but I in- 
variably found it to scramble towards the shore as soon as possible, as 
if dreading the element in which it was by nature destined to live. 
When thrown into the pond, it usually dived at once, but the next in- 
stant arose to the surface, and swam with all the buoyancy of a com- 
mon duck. It is a fearless bird, keeping at bay the hens and turkeys 
in the yard, and never sparing any dog that chances to pass by it, 
dealing blows right and left with its sharp bill, and occasionally placing 
itself at the trough where they are fed, to prevent them from taking a 
morsel! of food till he has tantalized them sufficiently, when he leaves 
them to share whatever he does not himself relish. 
“ It was not until my bird was fully fledged that I found it willing 
or anxious to go to the water, and then, whenever it saw me go to- 
ward the pond, it accompanied me as far as the gate of the garden, seem- 
