RAINBIRD. 275 



creasing in the rapidity of its emission ; and some- 

 times this sound is produced during its short flights. 

 All the time of this effusion, the beak is held widely 

 opened. It may be imitated in some degree, by 

 repeating the syllables, ticky ticky ticky, for about 

 a minute, as rapidly as they can be uttered. It is 

 frequently seen on the ground in morasses and 

 woods, when it proceeds by a succession of bounds, 

 the long tail held somewhat high, the head low : 

 the tail is jerked forward by the impulse at each 

 pause of motion ; and the whole action is like that 

 of the Crotophaga. 



When held, it is fierce, trying with widely opened 

 beak to bite, and uttering angry screams ; the tail 

 expanded. A male, which had been knocked down 

 with a stone, but not much hurt, on being put into 

 a cage, was outrageous when one's hand was placed 

 near the wires, dashing from side to side, now and 

 then snapping at the hand, and snarling all the 

 while, exactly in the tone of an angry puppy. 



It is extremely retentive of life ; sometimes when 

 a wounded one has come into my possession, I have 

 been distressed at the vain efforts that I have made 

 to deprive it of life, without absolute destruction of 

 the specimen. The craw is large and protuberant, 

 below the sternum, and is usually much distended. 

 I have found in various individuals large caterpillars, 

 locusts, phasmata, spiders, phryni, a whole mouse, 

 lizards, &c. Robinson found in one a large Green 

 Anolis, eight inches long, coiled up in a spiral 

 manner, the head being in the centre. He says 

 it bruises the heads of lizards, and then swallows 



