NORTH AMERICAN MARSH BIRDS 43 



relative to the bird's muteness. Rarely does it make any sound ex- 

 cept in fear or excitement. F. P. and A. P. Penard (1908) describe 

 the notes as harsh and disagreeable. In speaking of a large nesting 

 colony at Hermina-flats, they say (translated) : 



A shot in their midst causes the whole flock to rise, Hke a red cloud, with a 

 gurgling give, give, and fly to the higher trees. Feeling themselves safe there, 

 each one seems to have something to say and does it with much hissing. Fre- 

 quently there is a quarrel and then one chases the other away. In so doing they 

 rattle their bills. 



Rev. Mr. Dawson (1917) says that the only note he ever heard a 

 captive bird utter was a low, harsh grunt. 



Game. — As a game bird the scarlet ibis is in greater favor than the 

 herons or egrets. I quote the following from F, P. and A. P. Penard 



(1908) (translated): 



A few persons make their living in hunting the scarlet ibis during the breeding 

 season. But this is a very cruel practice. Mercilessly the birds are shot while 

 sitting on their eggs or standing beside their young, after which they are salted 

 or dried, transported in barrels full to the city and sold at 25 cents (Dutch) each. 

 Fresh or dried the meat has a somewhat oily flavor. 



G. E. Bodkin and C. T. Matthey (1921) in their notes on shooting 

 in British Guiana say: 



It is not often possible to obtain a shot at these birds. Apparently they are 

 getting scarcer than they used to be owing to continued persecution. They are 

 certainly not so common on the inhabited parts of the coastlands as formerly. 



The young birds — before they attain the scarlet plumage — occasionlly give 

 sport, but to shoot them in any numbers it is necessary to go to out of the way 

 places like the mouth of the Pomeroon River, Dauntless, or the mouth of the 

 Waini River in the northwestern district most of them fearsome, mosquito-ridden 

 spots. 



Kappler (1887) says that the fat ibises, in comparison with the 

 lean egrets, are well worth shooting. He speaks of shooting seventeen 

 at one shot. Again he (1854) says (freely translated) : 



In the rainy season (May and June) the red ibises, here erroneously known 

 as flamingoes, as well as other birds belonging to the order of rie 'ons, lay their 



Eggs and young aie particularly prized by Indians who occasionally make 

 special expeditions to the nesting sites. One day my neighbors came in two big 

 canoes to the post, on their way after eggs. After I had treated them to some 

 brandy they promised to bring me a basket of eggs. A few days later both 

 canoes returned, fully laden with eggs and emaciated young birds. They gave 

 me about 100 of these eggs, which were green, spotted with black, and the size 

 of a small hen's egg. Immediately I began preparations to make an omelet, but 

 discovered to my disappointment that there was only one fresh egg in the lot. 

 AU the rest were addled or rotten or in an advanced state of incubation. I 

 suspected a joke. But as my mind was set on an omelet I started in a canoe to 

 the village, where I found the women cooking eggs. They were all like mine. 

 In a soup of yelks floated birds in all stages of incubation, richly spiced with 

 Spanish pepper, and this mess they ate gluttonously. 



