90 



CLASS AVES. 



ORDER GRAL LATORI A. 



one behind, the latter touching the ground, the former connected by a short 

 web ; tail forked. 



8. FDLICA. Beak straight, short, thickish, and compressed laterally ; of 

 greater depth than breadth at its base ; the upper edge of the upper man- 

 dible dilated into a broad, callous plate upon the forehead, and the lateral 

 edges grooved towards the base ; the upper mandible slightly arched, the 

 lower angular ; nostrils lateral and longitudinal, placed in the middle of the 

 beak, and partly covered by membrane ; legs long and slender, bare below 

 the knee ; toes very long, connected at their base, and covered with a broad 

 fin-shaped scolloped membrane ; nails shorter than the toe, and hooked. 



9. GALUXULA. Beak short, compressed, conical ; deeper than its width 

 at the base ; the ridge of the beak sometimes expanding into a naked plate 

 on the forehead ; mandibles of equal length, much compressed at the tip, 

 the upper slightly curved, the lower angular ; nasal pits very large, nostrils 

 lateral, longitudinal, partly covered by membrane ; legs long, naked above 

 the knees ; toes very long, three before and one behind, those in front edged 

 with a narrow membrane. 



10. RALLUS (Lat rants, thin). Beak long, slender, slightly arched, or 

 straight, compressed at its base, with its tip roundish ; the upper mandible 

 grooved, and the nostrils situated in it lateral, partly covered by membrane, 

 and perforated completely through ; wings rounded ; legs long, stout, and 

 bare a short distance above the knee ; front toes entirely distinct. 



MACRODACTYLA. DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIES. 



PARR A Jacana. The birds forming this genus are in the Brazils called 

 Jacanas, which signifies water-fowl, and in Paraguay Aquapeazos, from 

 their stepping lightly on the broad leaves of water-plants. They are noisy, 

 querulous, and active, moving about from morning to night. They run 

 with great speed along the weed-covered surface of pools, and upon high 

 grass, the length of their toes preventing them from slipping down, and 

 compensating in this respect, at least, for webs; but they are fond of 

 paddling up to their knees in the water. They feed on water-insects, are 

 monogamous, make their nest on the ground among the grass, and there 

 deposit four or five eggs. In consequence of the spur on their wings, or 

 the length and sharpness of the nails, these birds have been trivially called 

 Surgeons. The species are divided into two subgenera: 1, those with a 

 frontal membrane ; and 2, those without a frontal membrane. 



The species are the Common Jacana, rather larger than a Water Rail, 

 and much taller ; common hi all the hot parts of America ; the Bronzed 

 Jacana (P. JEnea), found on the Continent of India and in Java : in the 

 latter country it is called by the natives Pichisan, and in Bengal is known 

 as the Coudey, Peepe, Mowa, or Didpee; the Cinnamon Jacana, from 

 Senegal ; the Chilian Jacana (P. Chilensis) ; and the Gallinaceous Jacana, 

 found in the Celebes, and at Amboina, is a bird of passage. 



The Chinese Jacana (P. Chinensis), Plate 16, is about twenty inches in 

 length, and as large as the Chinese Pheasant; head, throat, front of the 

 neck, and whig-coverts white ; the back of the neck ornamented with some 

 golden-yellow silky feathers; rest of the plumage chestnut, tinged with 

 vinous red, except a large white spot on the upper part of the wings and 

 the edge of the secondaries ; at the tip of some of the alar quills a little 

 pedicular appendage ; four of the caudal quills black, much longer than the 

 body, and elegantly curved. 



PALAMEDEA Kamichi. The Kamichis, in many respects, resemble the 

 Jacanas, but are of much larger size ; they are rather rare, and found only 

 in the inundated districts of South America ; never enter the great forests, 

 and but occasionally are seen perched on the dead branches of trees, as they 

 prefer the ground : their cry is very loud and can be heard at a considerable 

 distance, and is said to resemble vyhu, vyhu. They generally feed on 

 aquatic herbs and seeds, and, it is stated, also on reptiles. They never use 

 their offensive weapons, the horn and long claws, except in their contests 

 with each other during pairing-time, and when once mated they continue 

 monogamous during life. 



The species represented on Plate 16 (P. Cornuta), or Horned Screamer, 

 is about the size of a Turkey, which it resembles in the shape of its body ; 



it stands about' three feet four inches high, and the wings nearly roach the 

 tip of the tail, which is square ; the full-grown bird lias the plumage of the 

 neck, back, chest, wings, and tail, slaty-black; the belly is white'; the 

 frontal horn is moveable, three inches long ; the middle toe is four and a 

 half inches long, the outer, but two ; legs and feet black. 



MEGAPODHJS. The Megapodes, of wliich there are five species, are found 

 in the Moluccas, the Papou, Marianna, and Philippine Isles ; in the latter 

 they are called Town, which in the Tagal language signifies to bun-, 

 because they deposit their eggs in the mud, and, covering them with mud 

 and leaves, leave them, like the Ostrich, to be hatched in the heat of the 

 sun. They live on the edge of the large forests bordering the sea-shore, 

 and at the least alarm betake themselves to cover, running with an unsteady 

 pace, and their flight is little more than fluttering along the ground. 



One species, M. Freycinetus (Plate 16), the Mankirio of the Papous, is 

 about fourteen inches long ; the whole body is blackish-brown, becoming 

 lighter on the belly and wings ; the feathers on the head capable of eleva- 

 tion into a kind of crest ; the skin of the neck nearly naked ; the great alar 

 quills meet upon a little oval tail, not exceeding an inch in length ; the head 

 small, the beak about ten lines in length, brownish, with a white tip, and 

 surrounded by a black skin at its base, which, as well as the ocular circlet, 

 has a few scattered feathers upon it The tarsi stout, and two and a half 

 inches long, covered by deep brown scales ; of the three front toes, the 

 middle is the longest, measures two inches, is united to the inner by a 

 broad, and to the outer by a narrow membrane, the hind toe rests on the 

 ground throughout its whole length ; the nails black. This bird is found 

 in the Papou Isles. 



PORPHYRIO Water-hen. This genus is distinguished from the Galli- 

 nules by its body not being so compressed nor of so elegant a form ; by 

 the very strong beak, composed of a substance so hard, that it enables 

 them easily to break up the shells of seeds ; and by their legs, which are 

 furnished with very long toes, capable of speedy retraction, and armed 

 with claws, which enable them to grasp and carry their food to their 

 mouth. Their plumage is generally bright blue. They live constantly by 

 the soft waters, and also in the marshes and rice-grounds of the south of 

 Europe, walk with great elegance on the water, and run with speed' upon 

 land or on the tops of water-plants. As they prefer grain to water-pin ms 

 for food, they are found more upon land than are the Gallinules. The 

 species are the Purple, eighteen inches long ; the Green-backed, seventeen 

 inches; the Black-backed, nearly sixteen inches; the Green, twelve; the 

 White, which is the largest, twenty ; and the Sultana-bird (P. Pulveru- 

 lentus), called also the Dusty Water-hen, fourteen and a half inches. 

 (Plate 16.) 



CHIONIS the VAOIN ALIS of Latham Sheathbffl. This remarkable bird, 

 the Wldte Sheathbitt (Plate 16), was first discovered at New Zealand by 

 Forster, who gave it the name Chionis. It measures from fifteen to 

 eighteen inches in length, and is about the size of a large pigeon ; base of 

 the beak black, space between the beak and eyes, and around the latter, 

 covered with white or pale orange warty excrescences, but one above the 

 eye brown or black ; irides dull leaden ; entire plumage white, tubercle on 

 the bend of the wing blunt and blackish, legs reddish, claws black. 



PHIENICOPTERUS flamingo. These beautiful birds are found in all 

 parts of the world, living on the borders of the sea or of ponds, where they 

 feed on shell-fish, insects, and the spawn of fish. Their neck is of cor- 

 respondent length with their legs, and though the head is small their lirak 

 is very large, and in taking food they turn the beak, so that tlx> upper 

 mandible serves the office of a scoop. They migrate at least from Europe 

 every spring, and return in the latter part of summer. Their body is not 

 covered with down like the true swimming-birds, and although their feet 

 are webbed they rarely swim. They fly in flocks, forming, like the Geese, 

 an angular wedge, the sharp point of which is occupied by the leading 

 bird. And in walking they often place the flat part of their upper man- 

 dible on the ground, for the purpose of obtaining an additional support. 



Species the Bed Flamingo, figured on Plate 16; the Chilian Flamingo; 

 and the Lesser Flamingo. 



