Ornithological and Other Oddities 



family, as in the case of the French partridge 

 and the vulturine guinea-fowl (A cry I Hum vul- 

 turinum), which has several. 



The common domestic guinea-fowl appears to 

 use the blunt horn on its head as a weapon ; 

 at any rate a lady once told me she had seen 

 one defeat an ordinary rooster by running under 

 him and butting, a mean mode of attack which 

 was altogether too much for poor chanticleer. 

 Indeed, he is not usually a match for this spur- 

 less bird. 



Those birds with armed legs fight by springing 

 and striking forward, and a similar method of 

 attack is found in the great flightless birds, 

 though these, being unable to fly, usually have 

 to rely on one foot only. Thus the ostrich 

 delivers tremendous kicks, so powerful that one 

 has been known to pierce corrugated zinc ; but 

 if his opponent is another ostrich the blow is 

 usually received on the horny breast-pad, and 

 so does little harm. 



The cassowaries possess a special weapon in 

 the shape of the formidably developed claw of 

 the inner toe ; they are active leapers, and, 

 though amusingly playful when young, become 

 nearly always dangerously vicious when full 

 grown. A wounded wild bird has been known 

 to force his human adversary to take to a tree 

 for safety on more than one occasion. 



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