12 FIN FOOT. 



Inhabits Surinam, chiefly on the sides of rivers and creeks; feeds 

 on small fish and insects, more particularly flies, and in catching 

 them is so dexterous, as never to miss striking one with the bill ; it 

 is often domesticated by the inhabitants, and known to them by the 

 name of Sun-Bird : said to be very active, with the head and body 

 continually in motion : from its very frequently expanding the tail 

 and wings at the same time, it has been thought to resemble the sun, 

 and from thence has obtained the above name. 



We may observe how different the conceptions of authors are, 



who have described this bird, which, to say the truth, does not 



entirely correspond with any Genus yet known. Dr. Forster ranks 



it with the Darters, from the connexion of the webs of all the four 



toes, which, in the complete bird, he says, is sufficiently conspicuous. 



In the specimens, however, which have come under our inspection, 



such connexion has not been to us at all clear: one circumstance, 



indeed, seems to shew the vicinity to the Darters, which is the 



suddenly darting of the bill on the object of its prey; yet it differs 



from them in not being bare on the sides of the head. Brown likens 



this bird to the Tern, to which it approaches by the bill. Buff on 



seems to come nearest to our ideas, by placing it between the Coot 



and Grebe, though it does not entirely correspond with either. We 



have therefore ranked it with our African Species, forming therewith 



a distinct Genus— leaving to futurity the propriety of so doing, and 



well knowing that Nature will not, in many instances, submit to the 



confinement of system, however useful such method may be, in 



assisting to arrange her works. 



