3602 Birds. 



in the ' Zoologist ' some account of the supposed capture near Poole, 

 in Dorsetshire, of the Plotus Anhinga, or " Black-bellied Darter " of 

 America; and even now, I do so with some hesitation, and would first 

 beg to caution the readers of the c Zoologist' against setting this down 

 as an undoubted bond fide British bird, from the solitary instance of 

 its occurrence here given, the particulars of the capture being very far 

 from satisfactory. 



It appears, after repeated and diligent inquiry, that the bird in ques- 

 tion was shot by a young man of the name of Cripps, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Poole, in Dorsetshire, some time in the month of June, 

 1851 ; and that it was sent in the fiesh to Mr. Dangerfield, a fish- 

 monger at Devizes, who also is a dealer in stuffed birds. When I say 

 that the bird was sent to Mr. Dangerfield in the flesh, I should add, 

 that the body had been removed, but evidently recently, and that the 

 wings, legs, neck, &c, still remained in the flesh, when Mr. Danger- 

 field prepared it for stuffing. I do not think the removal of the body 

 from the bird is at all conclusive that it had been brought from any 

 great distance, as this is so common a practice when no opportunity 

 occurs for immediately sending the specimen obtained ; and I have 

 myself, on several occasions, received from friends birds in like man- 

 ner partially prepared. The most unsatisfactory part of the evidence 

 regarding this bird, is, that the person who is said to have shot it is 

 now an emigrant in Australia, and all information about it necessarily 

 comes to us at second-hand through the preparer of the bird, (Mr. 

 Dangerfield). 1 feel, that having admitted my knowledge of its cap- 

 ture above a year since, I should be exposed to the deserved censure 

 of my ornithological friends for carelessness and gross negligence, in 

 omitting to make inquiries at once, while the person who shot it was 

 at hand, did I not exculpate myself by stating that I first heard of and 

 saw the bird only on the eve of my departure for a somewhat extended 

 tour in Germany and Italy, and was thereby precluded from making 

 any inquiries at the time. 



That the bird in question was not at all known by those who pos- 

 sessed it, will be very apparent from the name they had given it, and 

 under which it was shown to me, that of " Ibis ; " nor indeed, though 

 I knew their mistake, could I at all say what it was, until I had an 

 opportunity, a few weeks back, of showing it to my friend Mr. Alfred 

 Newton, whose name is well known to the readers of the * Zoologist,' 

 and who at once declared it to be the Plotus Anhinga of America. To 

 the same gentleman I am indebted for most of the information I have 

 since gained regarding the whole genus Plotus in general, and the spe- 



