70 
AN AUSTRALIAN BIRD BOOK. 
F. 60. PLOTIDAE (1), DARTERS, Water-Turkey, 4 sp. — 
2(1)A., l(0)O.,2(0)P.,l(0)E., l(0)Nc., 1(0)N1. 
1 147 Australian Darter, Snake-bird, Diver (e), Shag (e), 
4 Plotus (Anhinga) novae-hollandiae^ N.G., A., N.Z. 
r. lagoons, hays 36 
Head, long thin neck, upper, under greenish-black; white 
patch side of neck; wings spotted whitish; bill straight, 
sharp; tail long; f., light-brown neck, breast. Fish. 
The next family contains the famous "Boobies" of sailors — the 
stupid Gannets, or Solan Geese, that were too stupid to escape 
from danger. Gould says our Gannet out-boobies the Booby, for 
he landed on a flat rock and secured five specimens by hand before 
the rest shuffled over the edge of the cliff and took flight. The 
Australian bird can scarcely be distinguished from its British 
cousin. It is common in Australian seas, where it can be seen 
diving for fish or flying swiftly round looking for prey. There 
is a large Gannet rookery on Cat Island, east of Flinders Island, 
where probably 4000 pairs of these fine birds nest each year. 
This was visited by a party of ornithologists in the Manawatu in 
1908. 
The famous Frigate-Bird we read of in the old school readers 
was twice taken in Port Phillip Bay. It is the best of flyers, as 
it can "breakfast on the Senegal (Africa), and dine on the 
Amazon." The two Frigate-Birds are common in Australian 
tropical seas. As already mentioned we met the Frigate Bird on 
