880 J A C 



the head is brown; the chin, the sides of the head, 

 the breast, and all the under parts are blackish, but 

 marked with white spots on each side of the belly ; 

 the quills and tail feathers are violet black with a play 

 of colours ; and the two middle feathers of the tail 

 are considerably longer than the rest, and each one 

 toward the"* side is shorter than the one within it. 

 The bill and feet are black. The colours of the 

 female want the reflections which characterise the 

 male ; and the two middle leathers of the tail are also 

 shorter in that sex. 



YRLLOW-BILLED JACAMAR (G. Jlavirostris] has 

 the upper parts of golden green with Very brilliant 

 copper coloured reflections. The front and region of 

 the eyes blackish brown with bright metallic lustre. 

 The primary quills brown with the basal parts and 

 the inner webs yellow. The tail feathers regularly 

 staged, with the two middle ones golden green, and 

 the remainder russet. The chin is whitish, the throat 

 reddish, the breast copper green, the under parts 

 bright red ; and the bill yellow at the base, but black 

 at the tip. The colours of the female are much 

 duller than those of the .male. The length of this 

 species is about eight inches. 



WHITE-BELLIED JACAMAR (G. leucogaster) is also 

 about eight inches long, and has the whole bill, and 

 also the feet black. The upper part golden green ; 

 the sides of the head dull blueish green ; the quills and 

 tail feathers golden green, margined with irridescent 

 blue. The throat and belly are white, but all the 

 rest of the under parts are golden green. The bill 

 and feet are black. 



(IRKEN JACAMAR (G.mridis). This species is also 

 of the same size as the two preceding ones. It has the 

 upper part of a very rich and brilliant golden green ; 

 the front and region of the eyes blackish brown ; the 

 top of the head, arid the edges of the quills and tail 

 feathers deen blueish green ; the rest of the primaries 

 blackish. The chin ash-colour, the throat white, and 

 all the rest of the under parts russet. The under 

 parts of this one are, however, subject to considerable 

 varieties of colour in different individuals. 



TiiREE-TOEt> JACAMAR (G. Iridactyla). This spe- 

 cies differs from the fonm-r in size, being only seven 

 inches in length ; and it ditf'ers more in the structure 

 of its feet, by having only three toes, two to the front 

 and one to the rear. On. this account it has some- 

 times been classed with the bee-eaters, and at other 

 times regarded as a separate genus. But its struc- 

 ture and habits are not like those of the bee-eaters, 

 nor does it appear that there are any good grounds 

 for regarding it as a distinct genus, at least in so far 

 as its general manners are concerned. The upper 

 parts are blackish brown with green reflections ; the 

 feathers on the crown, and at the base of the bill, are 

 blackish brown, with produced margins of a reddish 

 colour to their webs. The primary quills and tail 

 feathers are brown, margined externally with golden 

 green; the secondary quills are brown, with some 

 mottling of yellow; the sides of the head are brown- 

 ish ash ; the chin yellow : the throat black ; the mid- 

 dle of the breast and the belly white, with a rosy tint ; 

 the flanks and under coverts'of the (ail blackish, mot- 

 tled with russet ; and the bill and feet are blackish. 

 Such are the few particulars at present known re- 

 specting this genus of biKls ; but as the verv pecu- 

 liar countries which they inhabit are beginning to be 

 explored with equal zeal and ability, we may soon 

 expect more complete accounts of them and their fel- 

 lows of the woods. 



ANA. 



JACANA (P. Parra). A very peculiar, and by 

 no means uninteresting genus of bird?, belonging to 

 Cuvrer's Macrodactylic, or long-toed family of Evhax- 

 siers, or stilt birds ; and forming the most typical or 

 characteristic genus of the family. In their habits 

 they are somewhat allied to the rails and water-hens 

 of our temperate climates ; but they are all natives of 

 warm countries, and possess the power of running 

 lightly upon aquatic plants and herbage in far greater 

 perfection than any of our birds. 



The birds of this genus are very striking! v distin- 

 guished from all flie other walking birds by the great 

 development of their feet, which are in all the species, 

 and in every part of the structure, very large and 

 strong in proportion to the size of the bird. The 

 tibiae are very long, stout, and naked of feathers for 

 the greater part of their length ; the tarsi are also 

 very long and strong ; and these two bones are, to- 

 gether, as long as the whole body of thj birds, if not 

 longer. The most remarkable part, however, is the 

 great development of the toes and claws. These to*s 

 are four in number, three to the front, and one to the 

 rear, all articulated at the same height on the tarsus, 

 and perfectly free, or without membranes, to their 

 very basis. They are furnished with very long claws, 

 very little bent, and tapering to points, which are ex- 

 ceedingly s-harp ; and this peculiarity of the claw is 

 more remarkable on the hind toes than on any of the 

 rest. From this produced form and extreme sharp- 

 ness of the claws, the French have given these birds 

 the fanciful name of surgeons, though it does not ap- 

 pear that they exercise those keen weapons in any 

 kind of phlebotomy, or in doing violence to any crea- 

 ture whatever : though, as M'e shall presently see, 

 this very singular formation is by no means without 

 its use in the economy of the birds. The body, as is 

 the case in all birds which have a running or walking 

 habit rather than a flying one, is borne with the axis 

 nearly horizontal ; and such is the extent of base ob- 

 tained from the great production of the toes and 

 claws, that it extends as fur as from the breast to the 

 posterior extremity of the body. The bill is of mode- 

 rate length, not exceeding that of the head. It is 

 straight, slender, slightly compressed, rather enlarged 

 at the point, flattened at the base, where it extends 

 into a sort of plate on the forehead, nearly in the 

 same manner as in the coots, which also belong to this 

 family. The mandibles are of unequal length, the 

 lower one being the shorter. The nostrils are lateral 

 about the middle of the bill, oval, and open through 

 and through. The wings are of mean length, or 

 rather long for the size of the bird ; the first and 

 second quills are of equal length, and the third is 

 often the longest in the wing. One of the most 

 remarkable appendages of the wing is a large horny 

 spur, slightly curved, and very sharp-pointed, which 

 is placed on the turn of the wing, and which might be 

 used as a rather formidable weapon ; but whether it 

 ever is so used has not been determined. This formid- 

 able armature of the feet and the wings has, however, 

 led some to conclude that these birds are of a pugna- 

 cious disposition : but the very reverse seems to be 

 the case ; for those who have had the best opportu- 

 nities of observing them in a state of nature, represent 

 them as being very peaceable birds, arid very much 

 attached to each other, especially the pairs, which 

 show a very strong reciprocal affection. The birds 

 are at all times difficult to approach, because of the 

 lightness and agility with which they run upon the 



