252 
FLOTUS ANHINGA. 
the water beinw apparently not greater than th®* 
occasioned by the gliding of an eel. 
Formerly the darter was considered by Toyagers 
an anomalous production, a monster partaking of 
nature of the snake and the duck ; and, in some ancie®* 
charts which I have seen, it is delineated in all 
extravagance of fiction. 
From Mr William Bartrara we have received tl>* 
following account of the subject of our history : — 
“ Here is in this river,* and in the waters all 
Florida, a very curious and handsome bird, — the peop**, 
call them snake birds ; I think I have seen paintings 
them on the Chinese screens and other Indian pictures' 
they seem to be a species of co/i/mbtis, but far 
beautiful and delicately formed than any other that * 
have ever seen. They delight to sit in little peaceaW^ 
communities, on the dry limbs of trees, hanging ofK 
tile still waters, with their wings and tails cxiianded, * 
suppose to cool and air themselves, when at the sal®* 
time they behold their images in the watery mirroj 
At such times, when we approach tlicm, they drop 
the limbs into the water, as if dead, and for a minute®* 
two are not to be seen ; when on a sudden, at a grf®* 
distance, their long slender head and neck appear, 1'**! 
a snake rising erect out of the water; and no other p®*, 
of them is to be seen when swimming, except sometii®*’ 
the tip end of their tail. In the heat of the day th®? 
are seen in great numbers, sailing very high in the ®' 
over lakes and rivers. 
“ I doubt not but if this bird had been an inhabit®®! 
of the Tiber in Ovid's days, it would have furnish®^ 
him with a subject for some beautiful and entertaiupk 
metamorphoses. I believe they feed entirely on fis®’ 
for their llesli smells and tastes intolerably strong of 
it is scarcely to be eaten, unless one is constrained 
insufl'erable hunger. They inhabit the waters of f-®!! 
Fear River, and, southerly. East and West Florida.’ T 
• The river St .loan, East Florida. u 
Bahtraji’s Travels, p. 132 MS. in the possession of ‘ 
author [Mr Ord. ] 
