PLOTUS. 157 



Anhinga anhinga, Eidgw. Man. N. Amer. Birds, p. 77''° ; Herrera, La Nat. (2) i. pp. 188", 330"; 

 Stone, Pr. Acad. Philad. 1890, p. 203 " ; Bryant, Zoe, ii. p. 49"* ; Richm. Pr. U. S. Nat. 

 Mus. xvi. p. 53 '' ; A. O. U. Check-1. N. Amer. Birds, 3nd ed. p. 41 "-" ; Ridgw. Man. N. 

 Amer. Birds, 2nd ed. p. 77 ". 



Ptil. cestiv. Niger, viridi-nitens ; Laterscapulio summo et lafcerali cum tectricibus alarum minimis maculis 

 ovatis albis minutis ornatis ; soapularibus efc secundariis intimis griseo-albo longitudinaliter conspicue 

 deooratis ; tectricibus medianis et majoribus griseo-albis concoloribus ; remigibus et rectrioibus nigris, his 

 pallide ocbraoeo terminatis, medianis transversim indentatis ; pileo coUoque undique cum corpore subtus 

 toto nigris, viridi nitentibus ; pileo cristate et plumulis albis ornato ; nucha et collo postico plumulis 

 filamentosis albis et brunneis decoratis ; maxilla sordide olivacea, mandibiila flava, margine et apice 

 viridibus ; regione oculari nuda cyanescenti-viridi : mento nudo Isete aurantiaoo ; tarso antice sordide 

 olivaceo, postice flavo, membrane interdigitali quoque flavo ; iride Isete coccinea. Long, tota circa 30'0, 

 alse 12-6, caudse 10"2, culm. 3-15, tarsi 1-35. (Deser. exempl. ad. ex Nieoya, Costa Eica. Mus. nostr.) 



Ptil. Mem. ptilosi eestivse similis, sed plumis filamentosis ornamentalibus nullis. 



$ ptil. cBstiv. mari similis, sed pileo coUoque aliter coloratis, miuime viridi-nigris ; pileo et collo postico 

 brunneis, illo plumulis albis ornato ; interscapulio brunneo, maculis parvis ovatis albis notato ; facie 

 lateral! gulaque albicanti-brunneis, gutture imo et prsepectore saturatioribus, vinaceo-brunneis ; prsepectore 

 imo fascia vinaoeo-castanea oircumdato, corpore reliquo subtus viridi-nigro. Long, tota circa 30"0, 

 alse 12-5. (Descr. feminse ex Castillo, Panama. Mus. nostr.) 



Jtrn. feminse adultse similis, sed brunnescentior, pectore et abdomine brunneis, fascia prsepectorali castanea 

 absente, gutture brunneo, prsepectore albicante ; notseo brunnescente, plumis obscure oinereo striatis, 

 tectricibus alarum medianis sordide cinerascentibus, basin versus nigricantibus ; f asciis indentatis rectricum 

 medianarum absentibus. (Descr. exempl. juv. ex Paten. Mus. nostr.) 



Hab. NoETH America, north to the Carolinas, the mouth of the Ohio Eiver, and 

 Southern Kansas ^^. — Mexico, Tampico {Bichardson ^^), Eio Mazatlan, Eio Santiago 

 {Bischoff'^'^, Grayson ^^ ^^), Tepic ^^ ^4^ Lake Chapala ^^ (G'm_ysoft), Guanajuato, 

 Guadalajara (Dug^s ^'^), Cosamaloapam, Vera Cruz, Santa Efigenia, Tehuantepec, 

 Tonala (Sumichrast ^'^ ^^), Valley of Mexico {Herrera ^i ^^), Jalapa (SalU ^, 

 de Ocffl * ^^), Progreso, Yucatan (Stone & BaJcer'^% Cozumel I. {Gaumer'^^'^^) ; 

 Guatemala, Lake of Peten [Leyland^^, 0. S.^% Lake of Yzamal (0. 8.^^); 

 HoNBUKAS, Lake of Yojoa (Taylor ^) ; Nicaragua, Rio Frio, Rio Escondido 

 (Richmond ^5), San Juan del Sur (Nutting ") ; Costa Rica, San Jose (v. Frantzius ^), 

 Nicoya (E. Arce ^^), La Palma (Nutting ^^) ; Panama, Laguna del Castillo (U. 

 Arce ^^ ^^). — South America, from Colombia and Guiana to Amazonia and 

 Brazil i". 



The Darter is found in the Southern States of North America, breeding from North 

 Carolina to the Gulf States and Florida, but is unknown on the Pacific side. 



The species is plentiful in Western Mexico, on the rivers of Mazatlan and 

 Tepic, and on Lake Chapala, near Guadalajara, and southwards to Panama. It chiefly 

 frequents the freshwater streams and lakes, but is occasionally found on the salt 

 lagoons near the sea, or wherever an abundance of small fish is to be found. The bird 

 pursues its prey at great speed beneath the water, only returning to the surface to 

 devour it, or, when satisfied, to sit upon a bough or log with outstretched wings to 

 dry in the sun. Notwithstanding its heavy flight, the Darter drops noiselessly into 



