1 
BLACK-BELLIED DARTER. 645 
pointed, and armed with numerous sharp teeth, towaras the tip, for the 
securing of its prey; it is black above, and yellow below ; no external 
nostrils are visible ; the bare space around the eye, and the pouch un- 
der the chin, are also yellow; the slit of the mouth extends beyond 
the eye; irides, vivid red; the head, neck, and whole lower parts, are 
black, glossed with dark green; the side of the neck, from the eye 
backwards, for more than half its length, is marked by a strip of brown- 
ish white, consisting of long, hair-like tufts of plumage, extending an 
inch beyond the common surface, resembling the hair of callow 
young; there are a few small tufts on the crown; the whole upper 
parts are black, marked in a very singular and beautiful manner, with 
small, oval spots, and long, pointed streaks of a limy white, which has 
the gloss of silver in some lights; the middle of the back, primaries, 
secondaries, rump, and tail-coverts, are plain glossy black; on the 
Phalacracoraz, Briss. 
The species of this genus amount to a considerable number, and are distributed 
over the known world, but there yet exists confusion among them, from the near 
alliance of many to each other. “I'he Prince of Musignano seems to have taken the 
authority of Dumont for the species he enumerates. ‘They are as follows .— 
1. P. carbo. — Cormorant of Wilson’s list. — Tail of fourteen feathers ; rare and mi- 
gratory in the United States. 
2. P. graculus. — Tail, twelve feathers ; not uncommon in spring and autumn in the 
Middle States ; very common in Florida, where it breeds ; though very abundant in 
the Arctic and Antarctic circles. 
3. P. crivtatus. — Rather rare, and fonnd during winter only in the United States 
4. P. pygmeus. — Inhabiting the north of both continents. 
5, P. Africanus. — Inhubiting Africa and America; not found in Europe: 
The Prince of Musignano is doubtful whether the two last are entitled to any 
place in the ornithology of America, the specimens which he has seen of both being 
only reported to have been killed in that country. He mentions also anotner, in- 
habiting the United States, which he has not examined, but thinks may turn out P?. 
Bruzilianus. 
The first four species are common to Europe and America; the three first are 
also British, In addition to these, Mr. Swainson has described another in the 
Northern Zoology, under the title dilophus, or Double-crested Cormorant, which he 
cannot reconcile to any of these already described. His characters are, “Tail 
of twelve feathers ; bill, three inches and a half Jong; a crested tuft of feathers 
behind each eye.” 
Tachypetes, Vicill. 
1. T. aquilus, Vieill.— Not uncommon during summer on the coa:ts of the United 
States, as far south as Carolina. 
Sula, Briss, 
1. Sula Bassana, Briss. —Common during summer over the coasts of the United 
States, especially the Southern. 
2. L. fusca, Briss. — Booby. — Common in summer on the coasts of the Southern States. 
Heliornis, Bonat. 
1 HH. Surinamensis, Surinam Heliornis.— An accidental visitant in summer in the 
Middle States. 
I have introduced Ffeliornis here, but without at all placing it in this station from 
my own opinion of its real place ; the form of the birds contained in it (amounting yet 
to only two spears) 1s very curious, and though showing the form of the body, and, 
according to Bonaparte, oj the skeleton of Plotus, yet the habits are much more 
that of the Grehes. ‘his agrecs with the arraugement by the Prince of Musignano 
in one range, but I do not so easily sce its connection in the opposite direction with 
Pheton and Sula, the immediately preceding genera. — Ep. 
