NOTE-BOOK OF A NATURALIST. 37 



than three species of these worthies, forming a natural 

 group of gigantic storks, not only cherished, like the 

 white stork, for their services to man, but valued for the 

 beautiful plumes called ' Marabous," from the Senegal 

 name of the African species. The extreme lightness of 

 these long downy feathers, which are transferred from 

 the sides beneath the wings and from under the tail of 

 the bird to wave over the brow of beauty, where they 

 float with every breath of air, may be conceived from 

 Latham's experiment. He weighed one of them, which 

 was eleven inches and three-quarters in length and seven 

 in breadth, and balanced only eight grains. 



Temminck, in his Planches Goloriees, has well pointed 

 out the difference between the marabou of Africa, the 

 argala of the Asiatic continent, and the insular species 

 — ^probably the boorong-cambing or boorong-oolar of 

 Marsden — inhabiting Java and the neio^hbourino^ islands. 

 The Javanese bird, separated by Dr. Horsfield, is pro- 

 bably identical with the Sumatran species. 



Second only to the vultures in the eagerness with 

 which these feathered scavengers turn the most disgust- 

 ing substances into nutriment, the adjutants and mara- 

 bous are safe from all annoyance, and stalk about among 

 the dwellings of man, the privileged abaters of all 

 nuisances. Carrion, flesh and bone, everything, in short, 

 that offends the eye and the nose, enters the omnivorous 

 maw of Hhe large throat,' 'the bone-eater," 'the bone- 

 taker,' as this voracious utilitarian is in some places 

 termed. Snakes, lizards, frogs, and small quadrupeds 

 and birds, have small chance of life when they fall in its 

 way; and as the size of the devourer calls for a vast 

 supply, its consumption of both living and dead things is 

 enormous. 



But why should the bird have been called an adjutant? 

 — he looks more like an ancient, methinks. 



