388 J A C 



and when they discover that the enemy has found out 

 the nest, they dart upon him with the most, deter- 

 mined resolution, and fight boldly in defence of their 

 charge. During the day, where they can have the 

 advantage of sight, they are perfectly silent, and they 

 do not utter their cries during the night without some 

 cause of alarm ; but if any one passes, or any un- 

 wonted noise is made, their ear appears to be as 

 quick by night as their eye is by day, and they in- 

 stantly give their call, which is audible at a consider- 

 able distance. On this account, some of the Indian 

 tribes employ them, during their wars, as sentinels 

 against nocturnal surprises of the enemy ; if even a 

 single foe approaches, let him tread how lightly 

 soever, the jacana is sure to give the alarm, and thus 

 the purpose of the assailant is defeated. 



COMMON JACANA (P. jacana) is of a rich maroon 

 brown on the upper part, and the same colour on the 

 under part, only more obscure in the tint. The head, 

 neck, throat, and breast, are black with metallic re- 

 flections ; the quills are yellowish green, with black 

 borders ; the bill yellow, and the frontal membrane 

 reddish yellow. This membrane forms three lobes, 

 which are not attached to the forehead, and it has 

 two fleshy appendages at each side of the upper man- 

 dible. The spine on the angle of the wing is large, 

 conical, and of a white colour ? the legs are greenish 

 grey : the length is about ten inches. The j'oung 

 have some white on the under part, are lighter jn^the 

 colour, and of smaller size. This species is very ge- 

 nerally distributed over the warm parts of America, 

 and is common in Brazil, in Guiana, and in some of 

 the West India Islands ; it inhabits the borders of 

 pools and rivulets almost invariably in pairs. 



BRONZE JACANA (P. esnea). This is rather a 

 doubtful species, and is probably the same with the 

 Brazilian jacana of some authors ; and also with one 

 or two others, which are known only in museum spe- 

 cimens, generally supposed to have been obtained 

 from Brazil. 



SENEGAL JACANA (P. dnnamomia). Is a native of 

 Central Africa. It is maroon brown on the upper 

 part and deep brown on the under : the head is black, 

 the lower part of the neck white, the breast russet, 

 the bill yellow with a blueish-grey frontal membrane. 



INDIAN JACANA (P. Indica), Is found in Bengal 



ANA. 



and other h'umid parts of India. The upper part is 

 brownish ash, and the lower and also the head and 

 neck blueish black: the quills are blackish violet; 

 there is a white streak over the eye ; the bill is yel- 

 low with a blackish-blue frontal appendage ; there is 

 a red spot at the angle of the gape ; the feet are 

 brownish ; and the length is about nine inches. 



CRESTED JACANA (P. cristata). This species is 

 about ten inches in length : it is bronze green on the 

 upper part, and has the head, the neck, the lower 

 part of the back, the breast, and the belly, dull green ; 

 the rump, the flanks, the vent-feathers, and tail- 

 coverts reddish brown ; the larger coverts and primary 

 quills of the wings blackish green ; the feet and toes 

 green with brown claws, the bill yellow, and the 

 frontal appendage smooth, and of a crimson red. 

 This species is found in Ceylon and other parts of 

 the east. 



LONG-TAIL.ED JACANA (P. Sinensis). How this spe- 

 cies came to get the name of " Chinese" it is not easy 

 to say ; because it inhabits not China but the eastern 

 Archipelago. The upper parts are reddish brown, and 

 the under parts deep purple brown ; the head, the 

 throat, and fore part of the neck are white, pencilled 

 with black; the hind part of the head is black, and the 

 back of th^ neck very rich golden yellow, the coverts 

 of the wings are white ; the primary quills black, and 

 the secondaries white with black borders : the colours 

 of these parts do not, however, appear to be constant ; 

 the tail feathers are black, and the four middle ones 

 are longer than the rest, and pendent over them 

 in a very graceful curve : the bill is blueish, and the 

 frontal appendages and the feet are green ; the spine 

 on the wing is horn colour, and of moderate size. 

 The total length is from eighteen to twenty inches, 

 of which, however, a considerable portion is taken up 

 by the produced feathers of the tail. 



Such is a short list of the chief species of these 

 very peculiar birds ; and it is not a little remarkable, 

 that while so many birds of decided migratory habits 

 are confined to one or other of the two continent!!, 

 these stationary birds should be found in both, and 

 in both tropical parts of the eastern one. We have 

 no reason to suppose that they passed from the one 

 continent to the other, although their manners in 

 both appear to be very similar. 



END OF VOL. H. 



Bradbury and Evans, Printers, Wliitefriare. 



