192 GENUS CRIPTURUS. 



branches of the trees, seeking safety from the nu- 

 merous carnivorous animals which hunt their prey 

 during night, and delight in the varied game of these 

 wilds. During day they skulk about the long her- 

 bage, and even when assailed by men, allow them- 

 selves to be killed with sticks, rather than exert 

 their little powers of flight. The wings and tail are 

 both short and without power, the latter almost 

 wanting ; but their feet are more fitted for running 

 in the marshy grounds, and the disincumbrance of 

 the tail enables them to thread an easy passage 

 through a tangled herbage. The next Plate re- 

 presents 



