FEMAI,E SNAKE-BIRD. 
377 
those of the male, except that the colour and markings were 
not so pure and distinct; length thirty-six inches, extent forty- 
six. These birds frequent the ponds, rivers and creeks, during 
the summer; build in the trees of the swamps, and those of the 
islands in the ponds; they construct their nests of sticks; eggs 
of a sky blue colour. I inspected a nest, which was not very 
large, it contained two eggs and six young ones, the latter vary- 
ing much in size; they will occupy the same tree for a series of 
years. They commonly sit on a stump, which rises out of the 
water, in the mornings of the spring, and spread their wings 
to the sun, from which circumstance they have obtained the 
appellation of Sun-birds. They are difficult to be shot when 
swimming, in consequence of only their heads being above the 
water.” 
Never having seen a specimen of the Black-bellied Darter of 
Senegal and Java, I cannot give an opinion touching its identity 
with ours. * 
From Mr. Ord’s Supplementary Volume. 
