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 ; l 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. 2 This bird, which has since been regarded as 

 entitled to generic division under the name of Chunga burmeisteri 

 (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1870, p. 466, pi. 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, 3 Martin (ut 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 (Ibis, 1882, pp. 321-332) to rest upon the misinterpretation of certain 

 bones, which the latter considers to have been those of a Rhea. 



2 Near Tucuman and Catamarca (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, pis. 1, 2), 



