178 NATURAL HISTORY. 



most obedience to my mother and her servant, and he misses the latter immediately she is absent, i 

 which case ha seeks her with the greatest diligence, stealing into the house and under her window. 

 listening attentively for the sound of her voice or for her footstep, for he recognises the latter from 

 afar. "While young, she was always obliged to carry him to his sleeping-place, owing to his great dis^ 

 like to going there himself. If the weather was bad he liked to be taken to bed early ; if, on the 

 contrary, it was fine, he would hide up in the evening at the approach of his keeper. Now he no longer 

 seeks her assistance, but his friendship for her is still the same, and ifc is only when she allows. 

 him to call in vain for his food, when hungry, that he shows his displeasure." 



THE SIXTH FAMILY OF THE GRALLJ3, OR WADING BIRDS. THE TRUMPETERS 



This family of birds is entirely peculiar to South America ; and only six species are at present. 

 known. They differ from the Cranes in having the bill much shorter than the head, the culmen 

 being arched, and curving downwards at the tip. The plumage is very thick and close, and the 

 wing is concave, fitting tight to the hody ; it is at the same time broad, the centre quills being 

 only a little shorter than th3 primaries and secondaries. The tarsus is scaled both in front and 

 behind. The Trumpeters inhabit the forests, frequenting the ground in search of grain and food. 

 Their presence is often betrayed by their loud call, which has gained them the name of 

 " Trumpeter." 



CHAPTER IX. 

 THE HERONS THE GEESE AND WILD FOWL-THE PELICANS THE SEA-BIRDS. 



THE HERONS Characters THE TRUE HERONS THE COMMON HERON Mr. Harting's Account of its Habits Heronries- 

 Egrets Hungarian Breeding-places Feeding the Young THE STORKS The Umbre, or Brown Stork The Shoe- 

 billed Stork The Characteristic Bird of Central Africa The White Stork Protection afforded them in Various 

 Countries The Adjutant The Marabou THE SPOONBILLS AND IBISES THE SPOONBILLS Their Peculiar Bill- 

 Habits THE IBISES Species Dr. Brehm's Remarks on the Sacred Ibis THE FLAMINGOES THE GEESE AND 

 WILD FOWL THE SCREAMERS WILD FOWL Characters THE GEESE-Dwarf Geese Coreopsis Goose Spur- 

 winged Geese Grey or Wild Goose Sea Geese Brent Goose THE SWANS The Wild Swan The Black Swan^ 

 THE DUCKS The Wild Duck The Mallard SCOTERS EIDERS MERGANSERS THE STIFF-TAILED DUCKS The 

 Diving Ducks THE PELICANS THE FRIGATE BIRDS Habits Visit to a Breeding place Domesticated THE. 

 TROPIC BIRDS THE PELICANS The Common Gannet Visit to a Colony of Boobies The Darter, or Snake-neck 

 The Cormorants A Colony of Cormorants The Pelicans Characters Habits Perching on Trees Fishing THE. 

 SEA-BIRDS Characters THE SCISSOR-BILLS, OR SKIMMERS THE TERNS OR SEA-SWALLOWS " Wide-awake Fairs "- 

 White Noddies THE TRUE GULLS Characters The Black-backed Gulls Herring Gulls Skuas THE PETRELS 

 Distribution The Diving Petrel The True Petrels The Albatrosses Capt. Button's Remarks on their Unri vailed 

 Powers of Flight. 



THE SEVENTH ORDER OF BIRDS THE HERONS (Herodiones). 



IN the order of Heron-like birds the nostrils will be found to be small, placed rather high, 

 in the mandible, the bill being at the same time very hard and horny. The bill is longer than, 

 the head, and is united to the skull by firm, broad bones. The wings are always of large size. 

 As a rule, the Herons are big birds, and make their nests in trees, whither they bring food 

 to their young, who remain, for some time in the nests, and are not able, like the majority of 

 Wading-birds, to provide for themselves when they are hatched. They are also covered with dowu. 

 of a long, loose character, and they have large crests of down on the head when in the nest. 



THE FIRST FAMILY OF THE HERODIONES. THE TRUE HERONS (Ardeidai). 

 The true Herons may be distinguished by their large hind toe, which rests on the ground 

 like the others, and is furnished with a very big claw, or nail, which is equal in size to the claw 

 of the middle toe. The latter has a pectinated or comb-like edge on its inner margin. The wings 

 are very large and the flight is slow. The lores and region of the eye are also bare. 



THE COMMON HERON (Arctca cinerea). 



Much might be written about the habits of this interesting bird, as many excellent accounts. 

 of its habits have appeared in ornithological works, but nowhere, perhaps, has a better idea of 



