PLOTIDiE, DARTERS. GEN. 27 6. 305 



violaceus that floridanus does to dilojyhus. Pacific Coast, N. A. — Pelecanus 

 violaceus Gm., i, 575? Graculus violaceus Lawr. in Bd., 881; Schlegel, 

 l. c. 17 ; Urlle bicristatus Bonap., Consp. Av. ii, 175 (oec Pall.) ; Phala- 

 crocorax resplendens Aud., vi, 430, pi. 419 ; G. bairdii Coop., Proc. Phila. 

 Acad. 18G5, 5, 6; Elliot, pi. 49 violaceus. 



Family PLOTID^. Darters. 



Bill about twice as long as the head, straight, slender, very acute, paragnathous, 

 the tomia with fine serratures. Gular sac moderate, naked. Nostrils minute, entirely- 

 obliterated in the adult. Wings moderate, the 3d quill longest. Tail rather long, 

 stiff, broad and fan-shaped, of 12 feathers widening towards the end, the outer web 

 of the middle pair curiously crimped (in our species). 



There is an occipital style, as in cormorants, but it is very small. The digestive 

 S3'stem shows a remarkable feature ; instead of the lower part of the cesophagus 

 being occupied by the proventricular glands, these are placed in a small distinct 

 sac on the side of the gullet. As in other Steganopodes, the gizzard develops a 

 special pjdoric cavitj^. There are no proper coeca, but there is a small rounded 

 termination of the rectum {Audubon) . 



The darters are birds of singular appearance, somewhat like a cormorant but 

 much more slightlj' built, and with exceedingly long slender neck and small con- 

 stricted head that seems to taper directly into the bill. As in the cormorants, there 

 are long slender feathers on the neck ; the sexes are commonly distinguishable, but 

 the 9 is said sometimes to resemble the <y . Other changes of plumage appear to be 

 considerable, but not well made out. The feet are short, and placed rather far 

 back, but the birds perch with ease. Unlike most of the order, they are not mari- 

 time, shunning the seacoast, dwelling in the most impenetrable swamps of warm 

 countries. They fly swiftly, aud dive with amazing ease and celerity. Thej^ are 

 timid and vigilant birds ; when alarmed they drop from their perch into the water 

 below, noiselessly and with scarcely a ripple of the surface, and swim beneath the 

 surface to a safe distance before reappearing. When surprised on the water, they 

 have the curious habit of sinking quietly backward, like grebes ; and they often 

 swim with the body submerged, only the head and neck in sight, looking like some 

 strange kind of water serpent. Thejr feed on fish, which the}' do not dart down 

 ujjon, but dive for and pursue under water like cormorants and loons. The eggs 

 are three or four, pale bluish, with white chalky incrustation. There are onl}' three 

 or four species : the African P. levaillantii ; the P. melanogaster of Southern Asia, 

 with the Australian P. iiova-Jiollandiw, if distinct from the last ; with the following : 



276. Genus PLOTUS Linnaeus. 



y-^ ^ Darter. Anhinga. iSnaJce-bird. Water-turkey. Glossy greenish-black ; 

 a broad gray wing-band formed by most of the coverts ; lower neck behind 

 and scapulars speckled with grayish-Avhite ; tertiaries striped with silvery 

 ash ; tail pale-tipped ; filamentous feathers of neck purplish-ash ; 9 with 

 parts of the head, neck and back brown, the jugulum aud breast fawn-color 

 sharply margined with rich brown. Length about 06 ; extent nearly 4 ; wing 

 14; tail 11 ; bill 3^; tarsus 1^. S. Atlantic and Gulf States, common; in 

 summer to North Carolina {Auduboii), and up the Mississippi to S. Illinois 



KKY TO N. A. BIRDS. 39 



