AMERICAN ANHINGA. 449 



movements of its head and neck are continued. These movements, which, 

 as I have said, resemble sudden jerkings of the parts to their full extent, 

 become extremely graceful during the love season, when they are reduced to 

 gentle curvatures. I must not forget to say, that during all these movements, 

 the gular pouch is distended, and the bird emits rough guttural sounds. If 

 they are courting on wing, however, in the manner of Cormorants, Hawks, 

 and many other birds, they emit a whistling note, somewhat resembling that 

 of some of our rapacious birds, and which may be expressed by the syllables 

 eek, eek, eek, the first loudest, and the rest diminishing in strength. When 

 they are on the water, their call-notes so much resemble the rough grunting 

 cries of the Florida Cormorant, that I have often mistaken them for the latter. 



The flight of the Anhinga is swift, and at times well sustained; but like 

 the Cormorants, it has the habit of spreading its wings and tail before it 

 leaves its perch or the surface of the water, thus frequently affording the 

 sportsman a good opportunity of shooting it. When once on wing, they can 

 rise to a vast height, in beautiful gyrations, varied during the love-season by 

 zigzag lines chiefly performed by the male, as he plays around his beloved. 

 At times they quite disappear from the gaze, lost as it were, in the upper 

 regions of the air; and at other times, when much lower, seem to remain 

 suspended in the same spot for several seconds. All this while, and indeed 

 as long as they are flying, their wings are directly extended, their neck 

 stretched to its full length, their tail more or less spread according to the 

 movements to be performed, being closed when they descend, expanded and 

 declined to either side when they mount. During their migratory expedi- 

 tions, they beat their wings at times in the manner of the Cormorant, and at 

 other times sail like the Turkey Buzzard and some Hawks, the former mode 

 being more frequently observed when they are passing over an extent of 

 woodland, the latter when over a sheet of water. If disturbed or alarmed, 

 they fly with continuous beats of the wings, and proceed with great velocity. 

 As they find difficulty in leaving their perch without previously expanding 

 their wings, they are also, when about to alight, obliged to use them in 

 supporting their body, until their feet have taken a sufficient hold of the 

 branch on which the} 7 desire to settle. In this respect, they exactly resemble 

 the Florida Cormorant. 



The nest of the Snake-bird is variously placed in different localities; 

 sometimes in low bushes, and even on the common smilax, not more than 

 eight or ten feet above the water, if the place be secluded, or on the lower 

 or top branches of the highest trees, but always over the water. In 

 Louisiana and the State of Mississippi, where I have seen a goodly number 

 of nests, they were generally placed on very large and tall cypresses, growing 

 out of the central parts of lakes and ponds, or overhanging the borders of 



Vol. VI. 61 



