828 SERIEMA 
with grey down, relieved by brown, and remain for some time in 
the nest. ‘The food of the adult is almost exclusively animal,— 
insects, especially large ants, snails, lizards and snakes; but it 
also eats certain large red berries. 
Until 1860 the Seriema was believed to be without any near 
relative in the living world of birds ;! but in the Zoological Pro- 
ceedings for that year (pp. 334-336) Dr. Hartlaub described an 
allied species discovered by Prof. Burmeister in the territory of the 
Argentine Republic. This bird, which has since been regarded as 
entitled to generic division under the name of Chunga burmeistert 
(Proc. Zool. Soc. 1870, p. 466, pl. xxxvi.), and seems to be known 
in its native country as the “Chunnia,” differs from the Seriema 
by frequenting forest or bushy districts. It is also darker in 
colour, has less of the frontal crest, shorter legs, a longer tail and 
the markings beneath take the form of bars rather than stripes. 
In other respects the difference between the two birds seems to be 
immaterial. 
There are few birds which have more exercised the taxonomer 
than this, and the reason seems to be plain. The Seriema must 
be regarded as the not greatly modified heir of some very old type, 
such as one may fairly imagine to have lived before many of the 
existing groups of birds had become differentiated. Looking at it 
in this light, we may be prepared to deal gently with the sys- 
tematists who, having only the present before their eyes, have 
relegated it positively to this, that or the other Order, Family or 
other group of birds. There can be no doubt that some of its 
habits point to an alliance with the BusTarD or perhaps certain 
PLOVERS, while its digestive organs are essentially, if not absolutely, 
those of the HeRon. Its general appearance recalls that of the 
SECRETARY-BIRD; but this, it must be admitted, may be merely 
an analogy and may indicate no affinity whatever. On the one 
hand we have had authorities, starting from bases so opposed as 
Prof. W. K. Parker (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, p. 516) and Sundevall, 
placing it among the Accipitres, while on the other Nitzsch, Bur- 
meister,? Martin (ué supra), and Dr. Gadow (Journ. f. Orn. 1876, 
observable therein. The same is to be said of an egg laid in captivity at Paris ; 
but a specimen in Mr. Walter’s possession undeniably shews it (Proc. Zool. 
Soc. 1881, p. 2). 
1 A supposed fossil Cariama from the caves of Brazil, mentioned by Bona- 
parte (Comptes Rendus, xliii. p. 779) and others, has since been shewn by Rein- 
hardt (Jbis, 1882, pp. 821-332) to rest upon the misinterpretation of certain 
bones, which the latter considers to have been those of a Rhea. 
2 Near Tucuman and Catamarea (Burmeister, Reise durch die La Plata 
Staaten, ii. p. 508). 
3 Nitzsch, as Burmeister stated in his masterly contribution to the natural 
history of this bird (Abhandl. naturf. Gesellsch. Halle, i. pp. 1-68, pls. 1, 2), 
