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VERTEBRATA. 
THE BOAT-BILL. 
gated crest; the back and the belly rustj-reddisli ; the -wings gray ; the forehead and rest of "the 
plumage white ; the bill, legs, and feet brown. This species inhabit Cayenne, Guiana, and BraziJ, 
and chiefly frequent such parts as are near the water. Here they percb on the trees which hang 
over the streams, and like the kingfisher, drop down on the fish that swim beneath. They also 
feed on reptiles and crabs, whence the French name of Crabier or Crah-Eater, Night is the 
season of their activity. Their sight is acute, and their stroke surprisingly rapid. Their body is 
light, their wings ample, and their flight lofty. 
Genus BALCENICEPS : Baloeniceps. — Of this we know but a single species, B. rex, an ex- 
traordinary bird, found along the borders of the White Nile, in Eastern Africa. Its height is 
three feet nine inches ; its color is of an ashy-gray above, and light gray beneath. Its habits 
are little known, but it is believed to live in marshes and to feed on mollusca and reptiles. 
THE CHAEADEIID^ OR PLOYEES. 
Of these birds there are several genera and numerous species, widely distributed throughout 
the world. They are in general gregarious, feeding in flocks. They are less strictly aquatic in 
their habits than the preceding families, some of them, indeed, frequenting the margins of rivers, 
lakes, and ponds, or the sea-shores, while others are found upon moors and pastures, and even in 
plowed fields. Most of them perform considerable migrations, visiting the high northern latitudes 
during the summer for the purpose of breeding. They generally lay their eggs in a. mere cavity 
in the sand or gravel, and the young run about soon after they are hatched. Several species are 
well known in this country, and -are among our most interesting game birds. 
OYSTER-CATCHERS AND TURNSTONES. 
Genus H^MATOPTJS : Hcematopus. — This includes the Oyster- Catchers. In the European 
Otstbr-Catcitee, H. ostraleffus, the hind toe is wanting ; the bill is much longer than the head. 
