THE WORIiD'S BIRDS. 



n 



Eggs. — Several ; spotted, as in rails. 



Food. — Chiefly animal — snails, worms, etc. 



Gait. — A stately walk. 



Flight. — Performed with very powerful flappings. 



Note. — A loud distressful-sounding scream. 



Disposition and Habits. — A shy, retiring, solitary 

 bird, inhabiting marshes. It has the habit of 

 jerking its tail up as rails do, and also perches 

 like them. 



Economic Qualities. — It is good eating. 



Captivity. — ^The southern species has been exhibited in 

 our Zoological Gardens. 



Distribution and Species. — There are only two species, 

 confined to the warm parts of America, Aramus 

 pictus of the northern part of this range, and 

 A. scolopaceus of South America, known in the 

 Argentine as " Vidua loca " (Crazy Widow). They 

 are much alike, but the northern is more streaked* 



Mesites (Mesitidce). 



Diagnosis. — A rather small ground-bird, with small 

 head, short wings, large tail, all three front toes 

 without webs, and hind-toe rather smaller than 

 middle. 



Size. — About that of a tame dove. 



Form. — Bill rather short and slight, with long nostrils 

 extending from base to middle, corner of mouth 

 under front of eye. Feet with rather long shanks, 

 no webs to front toes ; hind-toe well developed, 

 but shorter than middle one. Wings short, round 

 and soft. Tail rather large and rounded. Head 

 small. 



Plumage and Colouration. — Chestnut-brown, the 

 male being white below, with black spots. 



