2236 THE BUSTARDS, THICKNEES, AND CRANES 



THE COURLANS 

 Family 



Agreeing in its osteology and feathering very closely with the cranes, the 

 Brazilian courlan or limpkiu {Aramus scolopaceus} of tropical South America, is 

 generally regarded as indicating a distinct family, although by some writers it is 

 placed with the rails, from which it is at once distinguished by the slit-like nasal 

 apertures of the skull. This bird, which measures twenty-five inches in length, is 

 not unlike a large rail in general appearance; having a somewhat slender, straight 

 beak, which is double the length of the head, and characterized by its extreme 

 lateral compression. At the base of the beak the slit-like nostrils are situated in a 

 groove extending along half its length. The legs and feet are long and slender; 

 the lower half of the tibia being bare, and the compressed metatarsus covered with 

 large scutes. The wings are broad and rounded. In color, the Brazilian courlan is 

 chocolate brown, with purple and bronze reflections on the upper parts, and some 

 longitudinal white flecks on the head and sides of the neck. In the West Indies, 

 Florida, and Central America its place is taken by the Florida courlan (A. pictus), 

 distinguished by the white markings extending over the back, wing coverts, and 

 lower parts. Courlan frequent swampy districts, and are remarkably rail-like in 

 their habits, flying with the same slow, flapping flight, and, when flushed, soon 

 dropping again. Among reeds, where they make regular paths, their movements 

 are extremely rapid. 



THE KAGU 

 Family RHINOCHOSTID^E 



A remarkably gray-colored bird from New Caledonia, known as the kagu 

 {Rhinochcetus jubatus), forms the type of a distinct family nearly allied to the 

 cranes, from which it is probably a specialized offshoot. Somewhat larger than a 

 night heron, the kagu is easily recognized by its moderately-long beak, general 

 gray color, and the elongated pendent crest arising from the back of the head. 

 While agreeing with the cranes in the form of the nasal apertures in the skull, and 

 the absence of a notch in the breastbone, the kagu differs by the presence of a 

 powder-down patch on each side of the rump, and by the naked oil gland; while it 

 is unique among the group in having a bridged (desmognathous) palate. The 

 plumage of the under parts is reddish brown, as is the tip of the tail; the primary 

 quills are barred with black, white, and rufous, and the beak, legs, and feet are 

 orange. The kagu is a nocturnal bird, feeding upon worms, mollusks, and insects; 

 but of its breeding habits nothing is at present known. It is remarkable for the 

 strange antics it performs; these being exhibited to a certain extent even in captiv- 

 ity, and recalling those of the cranes. 



