CRESTED SCREAMER 131 
It is partially aquatic in its habits; and in desert 
places is usually found in marshes, wading in the 
shallow water, and occasionally swimming to feed 
on the seeds and ‘succulent leaves of water-loving 
plants. After the old giant grasses of the pampas 
had been eaten up by the cattle, and the sweet grasses 
of Europe had taken their place, the Screamers took 
kindly to that new food, preferring the clovers, and 
seemed as terrestrial in their feeding-habits as Up- 
land Geese. Their food was abundant, and they 
were never persecuted by the natives. Their flesh 
is very dark, is coarse-grained but good to eat, with 
a flavour resembling that of Wild Duck, and there 
is a great deal of meat on a bird with a body larger 
than that of a Swan. Yet no person ever thought 
of killing or eating the Chaja; and the birds were 
permitted to increase to a marvellous extent. It was 
a common thing a few years ago in the dry season 
to see them congregated in thousands; and so little 
afraid of man were they that I have often ridden 
through large scattered flocks without making the 
birds take wing. 
A curious thing about the Screamer is that it pairs 
for life, and yet is one of the most social of birds. 
But if a large flock is closely looked at, the birds are 
invariably seen methodically ranged in pairs. Another 
curious thing is that, notwithstanding the formidable 
weapons they possess (each wing being armed with 
two large spurs), they are extremely pacific in temper. 
I have never been able to detect even the slightest 
approach to a quarrel among them; yet it is hard 
