Anhinga

an aquatic bird allied to the cormorant. From its long snaky head and neck, it is called the snakebird. It is also called a water-turkey. Length, thirty-four inches. Plumage, glossy black, with silvery markings. It is found in the Gulf States and in the Orinoco region. It flies, perches, and dives, but seldom swims. Its favorite perch is a dried limb overhanging a river or bayou. On the approach of a strolling hunter or boatman, it drops into the water, feet first, head and neck erect. After a time it rises to the surface, exposing only its long, sharp bill and a wary eye. It lives on fish, which it pursues under water with speed. In pursuit the neck is curved backward, but on nearing its prey, the head darts forward with a stroke like that of a dagger. The bird then rises to the surface, tosses the fish into the air, catches it head first, and that is the end of the fish. The anhinga lays two to four eggs in a nest of sticks lined with moss, in a bush over-hanging the water.