■i80 GRALLATORES. 



found associated in pairs, and are very sliy and 

 timid, but soon betray themselves by their vocifera- 

 tion. When at rest, they generally perch on the 

 branches of lofty trees. Seeds and the leaves of 

 aquatic plants constitute their usual diet. Their 

 wings are armed with formidable claws, capable of 

 being used with much effect as weapons of ofience. 



The t}^ical species, — 



The Horned Screamer (Palamedea cornuta), is found 

 in Cayenne, Guiana, and Surinam, amid vast swamps and 

 savannahs teeming with animal life. Here a continual dis- 

 cord of jarring sounds arises from the contending voices of 

 the multifarious mhabitants; but above them all is heard 

 the startlmg voice of the Horned Screamer, vyhoo ! vi/lioo ! 

 loud, clear, and shrill. But it is not for its voice alone 

 that this bird is remarkable ; on the ell>ow of each wing 

 are two large hard spurs, projecting directly forwards. 

 Snakes of various sizes, all rapacious, and all to be 

 dreaded, lurk in the haunts frequented by the Screamer, 

 and these formidable weapons enable the bird to defend 

 itself and its young against their assaults. If not at- 

 tacked, the Screamer molests neither reptiles nor bhds ; 

 its habits are shy, its manners are gentle, and it lives in 

 pairs united for life. It wades in search of the leaves 

 and seeds of aquatic plants, on which it feeds, and for 

 which its muscular gizzard is adapted, though some have 

 asserted that reptiles constitute its food. Its flight, as 

 might be expected from the length and spread of its 

 wings, is strong and sweeping, and when on the ground 

 it walks with an air of pride, keeping its head elevated, 

 so that it was formerly regarded by many as an aquatic 

 kind of eagle. Upon its head is a curious horn-like 

 appendage, from three to four inches in length, and about 

 as thick as a goose-quill : the use of this remarkable horn 

 is quite unknown. The voice of the Horned Screamer 

 is loud, shrill, and uttered so suddenly, and witli such 

 vehemence, as to have a very startling effect. The female 

 is said to build her nest on the ground at the foot of a 

 tree, and to lay two eggs, resembling those of a Goose. 



