180 



HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



chap of the jabiru guaca being broad, and 

 bending upwards. 1 



A bird still more extraordinary may be 

 added to this class, call the anhima, and, like 

 the two former, a native of Brazil. This is 

 a water-fowl of the rapacious kind, and bigger 

 than a swan. The head, which is small for 

 the size of the body, bears a black bill, which 

 is not above two inches long ; but what dis- 

 tinguishes it in particular is a horn growing 

 from the forehead as long as the bill, and 

 bending forward like that of the fabulous uni- 

 corn of the ancients. This horn is not much 

 thicker than a crow-quill, as round as if it 

 were turned in a lathe, and of an ivory-colour. 

 But this is not the only instrument of battle 

 this formidable bird carries ; it seems to be 

 armed at all points; for at the fore-part of 

 each wing, at the second joint, spring two 

 straight triangular spurs, about as thick as 

 one's little finger : the foremost of these goads 

 or spurs is above an inch long ; the hinder is 

 shorter, and both of a dusky colour. The 

 claws also are long and sharp ; the colour is 

 black and white ; and they cry terribly loud, 

 sounding something like Vyhoo, Vyhoo. They 

 are never found alone, but always in pairs; 

 the cock and hen prowl together ; and their 

 fidelity is said to be such, that when one dies, 

 the other never departs from the carcase, but 

 dies with its companion. It makes its nest of 

 clay, near the bodies of trees, upon the ground, 

 of the shape of an oven. 



1 The American Jabiru is described by Azara under 

 the name of Collier Rouge, and is called in Paraguay 

 ,4iaiui. It also inhabits Brazil, where it is named 

 Jabiru Guam, and is found in some other parts of 

 South America. It is the Negro of the Hollanders, and 

 the Touyouyou of the native tribes of French Guiana. 

 It is one of the largest and strongest of shore-birds. It 

 is mounted on very high stilts, and its body is as bulky 

 and more elongated than that of the swan. The skin 

 of the neck is wrinkled, and so flaccid that it depends 

 like the dew-lap of a cow. This circumstance has given 

 rise to the name of Jabiru, which in the language of the 

 Guaranis signifies any thing inflated by the wind. The 

 legs, very robust, are covered with large scales, and de- 

 nuded of feathers for about the space of six inches. The 

 jabirus constantly inhabit the humid grounds of South 

 America, and are found in considerable abundance in 

 the inundated savannahs of Guiana. They never quit 

 their sojourn but to rise slowly into the heights of the 

 atmosphere, where they support themselves for a veiy 

 long time. These birds are voracious, and live only on 

 fish and reptiles. They construct, on lofty trees, with 

 long branches carefully interlaced, a spacious nest, in 

 which the female deposits but one or two eggs. 1 ha 

 young are fed with fish until they are strong enough to 

 descend from the nest, and are defended by the parents 

 t with great courage. This nest is said to serve for seve- 

 ral broods. The jabirus appear to be less wild in Guiana 

 than in Paraguay. Hajon tells us that in 1773 a little 

 negro contrived, by merely concealing his face with the 

 branch of a tree, to approach a young one that had al- 

 most acquired its full growth, sufficiently near to seize 

 it by the legs and catch it. The flesh of the old is hard 

 and oily: but that of the young is tender, and tolerably 

 good eating. ( For Senegal Jabirus. see Plate XX. fig. 2.) 



One bird more may be subjoined to this 

 class, not for the oddity of its figure, but the 

 peculiarity of its manners. It is vulgarly 

 called by our sailors the buffoon bird, and by 

 the French the demoiselle, or lady. The same 

 qualities have procured it these different ap- 

 pellations from two nations, who, on more oc- 

 casions than this, look upon the same objects 

 in very different lights. The peculiar ges- 

 tures and contortions of this bird, the proper 

 name of which is the Numidian Crane, (see 

 Plate XX. fig. 1.) are extremely singular ; and 

 the French, who are skilled in the arts of ele- 

 gant gesticulation, consider all its motions as 

 lady-like and graceful. Our English sail- 

 ors, however, who have not entered so deeply 

 into the dancing art, think, that while thus in 

 motion, the bird cuts but a very ridiculous 

 figure. It stoops, rises, lifts one wing, then 

 another, turns round, sails forward, then back 

 again ; all which highly diverts our seamen ; 

 not imagining, perhaps, that all these contor- 

 tions are but the awkward expression, not of 

 the poor animal's pleasures, but its fears. 



It is a very scarce bird ; the plumage is of 

 a leaden gray ; but it is distinguished by fine 

 white feathers, consisting of long fibres, which 

 fall from the back of the head, about four 

 inches long ; while the fore-part of the neck is 

 adorned with black feathers, composed of very 

 fine, soft, and long fibres, that hang down 

 upon the stomach, and give the bird a very 

 graceful appearance. The ancients have des- 

 cribed a buffoon bird ; but there are many 

 reasons to believe that theirs is not the Numi- 

 dian crane. It comes from that country from 

 whence it has taken its name. 2 



CHAP. V. 



OF THE HERON AND ITS VARIETIES. 3 



BIRDS of the Crane, the Stork, and the He- 

 ron kind, bear a very strong affinity to each 



2 M. de Savigny, in his observations on the system of 

 the birds of Egypt and Syria, demonstrates, with much 

 acumen, that the bird in question here is the Crex of 

 the Greeks: and he also mentions that it is the Bilio, or 

 Grus, or Balearica, and Grus Minor, of the Latins, 

 though ornithologists place these denominations in the 

 synonymy of the preceding species. These birds are 

 found in various parts of Africa and Asia, in the inte- 

 rior of th e countries of the Cape of Good Hope, but more 

 particularly in the ancient Numidia; and they are ob- 

 served to arrive in Egypt at the epochof the inundation 

 of the Nile. Some are also found on the southern coasts 

 of the Black Sea and the Caspian, but it is invariably 

 marshy places which thpy frequent. They feed indiffe- 

 rently on grains, insects, worms, shell-mollusca, and 

 even small fishes, which they catch with great dex- 

 terity. Their cry resembles the clamorous tones of 

 the rrnne, but is much more feehie. and sharper. 



* Cranes are distinguished by having the head bald. 



