Animal Kingdom V.1

Page 235

418 AVES. inclining backwards; the nostrils are prolonged by a line which ex­tends to near the point. The throat is nuked as well as the circum­ference of the eye, the former not being· susceptible of much dilata. tion; the nail of the middle toe is serrated, the wings much smaller than those of the Frigates, and the tail somewhat wedge-shaped. They are called Boobies on account of the excessive stupidity with which they permit themselves to be attacked by men and birds, the Frigate Birds particularly, which, as already stated, force them to yield up the fish they have captured. The most common is, Pelecanus bassanus, L.; Enl. 278; Vieill.; Brit. Zool. pl. L.; Naum. Sup. 56, f. 106. (The Common Booby). White; the pri­mary quills of the wings and the feet, black; the beak greenish; nearly as large as the Goose. It is called the Bassccn Booby from a small island in the gulf of Edinburgh, where it is very abundant although it lays but a single egg. It is frequently seen on the coast of France during the winter. The young is brown spotted with white, Enl. 986. The remaining species are not yet sufficiently ascertained.(!) PLoTus, Lin.(2) The Darters have the body and feet very similar to those of a Cor· morant; a long neck and small head, with a straight, slender, pointed beak, whose edges are denticulated; the eyes and nudity of the face, as in the Pelicans; their habits also are similar, perching on trees. Several species or varieties are known from the hot climates of both continents. They are not larger than the Duck, but they have a longer neck.(3) [See Jipp. XXVII of .lim. Ed.] PH.tETON, Lin. The Tropic Birds are known by two very long and narrow feathers that flow from their tail, which at a distance resemble so many straws. There is no naked pa1·t about 1 the head. Their bill is straight, pointed, denticulated, and tolerably strong; their feet short and their wings long: their powers of flight are consequently great, and as they rarely quit the torrid zone, their presence announces to the mariner his vicinity to the tropics. On land, where they seldom resort except to breed, they perch on trees. (1) Add the Pou brun (Pelec. sula, L.), Enl. 973, Catesb. I, 87; Vieill. Ga1.277. [See Jlpp. XXVI of Jlm. Ed.] . (2) Plotus, or plautus, signifies, in Latin, flat-foot. Klein has employed tt for one of his families of the Palmi pedes. Linnil!us applied it to the Darters. (3) Plot. rnelarwgaster, Enl. 959 and 960; Vieill. Gal. 278; Wils. IX, lxxiv, 1, 2;­Enl. 107;-Lath. Syn. VI, pl. 96:-Jl.nhinga Levaillant, T. Col. 380. l'ALMIPEDES. 419 A fe;v species or varieties only at·e known, whose white plu­mage IS more or less val'ied with blackish, and which are not larger than Pigeons.(l) FAMILY IV. LAMELLIROSTRES. In this family we find a thick bill, invested with a soft skin rather than with true horn; its edges arc furnished with laminre or little teeth; the tongue is broad and fleshy, the edges notched. The wings are of a moderate length. They pass more of their time on fresh waters than at sea. The tra­chea of the male, in the greater number, is inflated near its bifurcation into capsules of various forms. The gizzard is large and very muscular, the creca long. The great genus, ANAs, Lin. Comprises those Palmipedes, the edges of whose large and broad bill are furnished with a range of thin salient laminre, placed transversely, which appear destined to allow the water to pass off when the bird has seized its prey. They are divided into three sub­genera, whose limits, however, are not very precise. CYGNus, Meyer. The bill of the Swans is of an equal breadth throughout, higher at base than it is wide; the nostrils about the middle of its length; the neck is very long. They are the largest birds of the genus, and feed chiefly on the seeds and roots of aquatic plants. Their intes­tines and creca in particular arc consequently very long. There is no inflation of the trachea. Two species are found in Europe, .!J.nas olor, Gm.; Cigne a bee rouge, Enl. 913. (The Red-billed or Domestic Swan.) Beak red, edged with black~ surmounted at base by a rounded protuberance; the plumage snow-white. When young, the beak is lead-coloured and the plumage grey. This is the species, when domesticated, that forms the orna­ment of our ponds and grounds. Its elegance of form, graceful movements, and snow-white plumage have rendered it the em­blem of innocence and beauty. It feeds both on fish and vege- (1) Plueet. mtlwrius, Enl. 369 and 998;-Plt. pluenicurus, Enl. 979, Vieill. Gnl. pl. 279.