79 



BLACK-BELLIED DARTER, OR SNAKE-BIRD. 

 PLOTUS MELAKOGASTER, 

 [Plate LXXIV.— Fig. l.—Male.'] 



Saierne, Orn, p, 375.— Win. Oni. p. 250.— Turt. Syst. 1, 351.— Lath. Gen. Syn. pt. 2, p. 624. 

 TJAnhinga, Burr. Ois. XVI, p. 253. JlnJiinga de Cayenne, PI. enl. JVo. 9 59. —Jlnhinga melanogas- 

 ter, Zool. Ind. p. 22, pi. ±2.—Colymhus coluhrinuSf Snakc-hird, Bartram, p. 132. 295.— Peaie's 

 Museum, JV'o. 3188, Male. 



THE Black-bellied Darter is three feet three inches in length; 

 the bill is three inches and three quarters long, rather slender, 

 very sharp pointed, and armed with numerous sharp teeth towards 

 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 under 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 brownish white, consisting of 

 long hair-like tufts of plumage, extending an inch beyond the com- 

 mon surface, resembling the hair of callow young ; there are a few 

 small tufts on the crown ; the whole upper parts are black, mark- 

 ed 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, seconda- 

 ries, rump and tail coverts are plain glossy black ; on the upper 

 part of the back, the white is in very small oval spots, lengthen- 

 ing as they approach the scapulars and tertials, on the latter they 

 extend the whole length of the feathers, running down the centre; 

 these are black shafted ; the wings are long and pointed ; lesser 



