820 SCREECH—SCRUB-BIRD 
the very loud cry of which its local name is an imitation. From 
a dozen to a score may be seen at once so occupying themselves. 
The young are often taken from the nest and reared by the people 
to attend upon and defend their poultry, a duty which is faith- 
fully? and, owing to the spurs with which the Chaka’s wings are 
armed, successfully discharged. Another very curious property of 
this bird, which was observed by Jacquin, who brought it to the 
notice of Linnzeus,” is its emphysematous condition,—there being 
a layer of air-cells between the skin and the muscles, so that on 
any part of the body being pressed a crackling sound is heard. In 
Central America occurs another species, C. derbiana, chiefly dis- 
tinguished by the darker colour of its plumage. For this a 
distinct genus, Ischyrornis, was proposed, but apparently without 
necessity, by Reichenbach (Syst. Aviwm, p. xxi.). 
The taxonomic position of the Palamedeidzx, for all will allow 
to the Screamers the rank of a Family at least, has been much 
debated, and cannot be regarded as fixed. Their Anserine relations 
were pointed out by Parker (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, pp. 511-518), 
and Prof. Huxley (op. cit. 1867, pp. 436, 460) placed them among 
his CHENOMORPH2; but this view was contravened by Garrod 
(op. cit. 1876, pp. 189-200), to whom it seemed that “the 
Screamers must have sprung from the primary avian stock as an 
independent offshoot at much the same time as did most of the 
other important families.” Accordingly in 1880 Mr. Sclater 
regarded them as forming a distinct ‘“ Order,” Palamedex, which 
he, however, placed next to the true ANSERES, from the neighbour- 
hood of which they can hardly be removed. 
SCREECH or SCREECH-BIRD, the Mistletoe-THrusu, Turdus 
viscivorus (cf. SHRIKE); SCREECH-OWL, properly the Barn-Ow1, 
Aluco flammeus ; but not unfrequently misapplied to the SwirT. 
SCRUB-BIRD, the name (for want of a better, since it is not 
very distinctive) conferred upon the members of an Australian 
genus, one of the most curious ornithological types of the many 
furnished by that country. The first examples were procured by 
the late Mr. Gilbert between Perth and Augusta in West Australia, 
and were described by Gould (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1844, pp. 1, 2) as 
forming a new genus and species under the name of Atrichia clamosa, . 
the great peculiarity observed by that naturalist being the absence 
of any. bristles around the gape, in which respect alone it seemed 
to differ from the already-known genus Sphenura. In March 
1866 Mr. Wilcox obtained on the banks of the Richmond river 
1 Hence Latham’s name for this species is ‘‘ Faithful Jacana,”—he supposing 
it to belong to the genus in which Linneus placed it. 
* «Tacta manu cutis, sub pennis etiam lanosa, crepat ubique fortiter” (Syst. 
Nat, cd 1251. p. 260): 
