104 SKLMMERS— PELICANS. ^ 



anterior toes are united by a membrane. Their nails are small 

 and arcuate. These birds fly a great deal, rarely alight upon 

 the water, and do not swim. They feed on little fishes or insects 

 ■which they seize as they fly, skimming the surface of the water. 

 All birds of this genus are clothed in white, with the back, wings, 

 and tail, pearl gray. 



18. The Skinuners, (Cut- waters, or Shear-waters, — Rhynchops, 

 — are remarkable for the singular form of their beak, the lower 

 mandible of which is much longer than the upper, both being flat- 

 tened, so as to form simple blades, which meet without clasping. 

 They inhabit the AVest Indies. [The Cut-water, or Black Skimmer, 

 — Rhynchops nigra, — is a bird of passage in the United States. It 

 arrives from its winter quarters about the middle of May, on the 

 sea shores of New Jersey, where it breeds : its favourite haunts 

 are along the low sand-bars and dry flats of the strand, in the 

 immediate vicinity of the ocean.] 



FAMILY OF TOTIPALMAT^E. 



19 The birds of this family are remarkable for having the 

 thumb united to the other toes in the same membrane, and not- 

 withstanding this organization, which converts their feet into 

 excellent paddles, they are the only birds among the Palmipedes 

 that perch on trees. They all fly well, and have short feet. 



The characters of the most important genera of this family are 

 contained in the following table : 



(Genera.) 

 Having a large cutaneous pouch or sac, suspended ) p 



between the branches of the lower mandible. \ Pelicans. 



f The beak f Tail round, ) „ 



straight, com- (of fourteen quills.) \ Cormorants. 

 Without a I pressed, and! 



sac beneath j hooked at the] Tail forked y Frigate Birds. 



the lower ) end. j 



jaw. [ Tail pointed . . . . y Boobies. 



L Beak straigl,t, slender, and pointed, y Darters, &c. 



•20. The Pelicans,— Pe//caww5,—(P/a/e 6, /7^. 3.) have a long, 

 straight, broad beak, which is very much depressed ; the upper 

 mandible is flattened and hooked, and the lower one is formed 

 of two bony branches between which hangs a large pouch of 

 naked skin. The face and throat are naked, the feet are strong 

 and short, and all the toes are united by a single membrane^ 

 These singular animals are expert swimmers, and are found both 

 on salt and fresh waters. They feed on fishes, and can store an 



18. How are the Skimmers characterised ? What is the Black Skimmer ? 



19. For what are bird^ of the familv of Totipalmata? remarkable ? 



20. How arc Pelicans characterised ? Where are lliev found ? 



