249 
FEMALE DARTER OR SNAKE-BIRD. 
[Plate LXXIV.— Fig 2.] 
Anhinga de Cayenne^ PI. enl. 959. — Peale’s Museurrif No. 3189, Pemale. 
THE female Darter measures three feet five inches in length; 
and differs in having the neck before of a roan colour or iron gray, 
the breast the same, but lighter and tinged with pale chesnut ; the 
belly as in the male ; where the iron gray joins the black on the 
belly, there is a narrow band of chesnut; upper head, and back of 
the neck, dark sooty brown, streaked with blackish ; cheeks and 
chin pale yellow ochre ; in every other respect the same as the 
male, except in having only a few slight tufts of hair along the 
side of the neck ; the tail is twelve inches long to its insertion, 
generally spread out like a fan, and crimped like the other on the 
outer vanes of the middle feathers only. 
The above is a description of the supposed female Darter, 
which is preserved in Peale’s Museum ; Wilson’s figure was taken 
from this specimen. It was contrary to his practice to make his 
drawings from stuffed birds, but as he had never had an opportu- 
nity of beholding this species in a living or recent state, he was 
compelled, in this instance, to resort to the Museum. 
The author having written to Mr. John Abbot, of Georgia, 
relative to this species, and some others, received from this distin- 
guished naturalist a valuable communication, from which the fol- 
lowing extract is made : “ Both the Darters I esteem as but one 
species. I have now by me a drawing of the male, or Black-bel- 
lied, only; but have had specimens of both at the same time. I 
remember that the upper parts of the female were similar to those 
3 R 
VOL. IX. 
