DARTERS 
181 
though I have seen them fishing in the surf at Virginia Beach. They are 
splendid birds and when on the wing exhibit a striking combination 
of power and grace. They are most impressive when diving, as with 
half-closed wings, like great spearheads they strike the water with a 
force which takes them wholly out of sight and splashes the spray ten 
feet or more into the air. 
1900. Chapman, F. M., Bird Studies with a Camera, 139-145, 181, 
189. — 1908. Camps and Cruises, 408. 
11. Family Anhingid^e. Darters. (Figs. 29, 30.) 
There are four species of Darters, Snakebirds or Water-Turkeys, 
one each in Africa, southern Asia, Australia, and tropical and sub- 
tropical America. They are silent birds, generally living in pairs or 
colonies on bodies of fresh water with wooded shores. They select a 
perch over the water, and when alarmed sometimes drop into the ele- 
ment below and disappear beneath its surface, or fly upward to a con- 
siderable height and circle about like sailing Hawks. They swim well, 
and when approached too closely, sink quietly backward, frequently 
leaving the long, thin neck and narrow, pointed head above the surface, 
when one at once observes the origin of the name “Snakebird.” They 
obtain their food by pursuing it under water, and their finely serrated 
bill assists them in retaining their hold upon it. The young are born 
naked, but are soon covered with close, short, buff down. They obtain 
their food from the throat of the parent, and remain in or near the 
nest until they are able to fly. 
118 . Anhinga anhinga {Linn.). Water-Turkey. (Fig. 13.) Ad. 
c ? in summer . — General plumage glossy black with greenish reflections; 
back of head and neck with scattered grayish plumes; upper back with 
numerous elongated silvery white spots, which on the scapulars become 
streaks; lesser wing-coverts spotted like back; exposed portion of median 
and greater coverts silvery gray; tail tipped with whitish, outer webs of 
middle pair of feathers with transverse flu tings. Ad. c? in winter. — Similar, 
but without grayish plumes on head and neck. Ad. $. — Similar to <?, but 
with whole head, neck, and breast brownish, darker above. Im . — Similar 
to $, but with black parts of plumage brownish. L., 34*00; W., 13*50; T., 
10*50; B., 3*25. 
Range . — Tropical Am. n. to w. Mex. (Tepic), Tex., Fla., s. Ills., and N. 
C., and casually to Kans. ; accidental in N. Mex. and Ariz. 
Nest, well formed, of sticks lined with moss, rootlets, etc., over the water 
in a low bush or high tree. Eggs, 2-5, bluish white with a chalky deposit, 
2*15 x 1*35. Date, Tampa, Fla., Mch. 21. 
This singular bird is a permanent resident in Florida but migratory 
farther north. They nest in isolated pairs, or in colonies of as many as 
two hundred birds. Although they soar with great ease they alight 
clumsily, tumbling on to their perches, with much flapping of wings 
before gaining their balance. When not alarmed, they seem to take 
flight with much hesitation, opening and closing their wings repeatedly 
before they trust themselves to their support. When alighting near the 
