170 NATURAL HISTORY OF BIRDS. 



position, and, on the whole, the relationship of the perplexing and curious species 

 which alone constitutes the family SCOPID^E, we shall here introduce a slight modifica- 

 tion of the synoptical table which Prof. F. E. Beddard laid before the Zoological 

 Society of London, in November, 1884 : 



Storks. Scopus. Herons. 



Pectoral muscle, Completely double. Not completely double. 



Ambiens muscle, Barely absent. Always absent. 



Flexor hallucis, With a special slip to the second toe. With no slip to the 



second toe. 



Expansor secundar, Present. Absent (except in Cochlearius and Egretta. ) 



Origin of obtur. int. Oval. Triangular. 



Syrinx, Without intrinsic mus- With intrinsic muscles. 



cles. 



Anterior rings of Complete. Incomplete, closed by membrane. 



bronchi, 



Cceca, Two. One. 



Powder-downs, Absent. Present. 

 Neck, during flight, 



carried, Straight. Curved backwards. 



In view of this table one must agree with Prof % Beddard that /Scopus is in many 

 respects an intermediate type between the Ciconiida?, on the one hand, and the 

 Ardeid.se on the other. As Scopus also has many peculiarities of its own, especially 

 in the skeleton, we also follow him in separating it as an equivalent family. 



The umbrette ($. umbretta), as the name indicates and the accompanying cut 

 illustrates, is a sombre-looking bird, dull brownish dusky all over, with a long occipi- 

 tal crest. The bill is rather peculiar : the culmen is elevated at the base, keeled, and 

 curved at the tip, which is hooked ; the sides are much compressed, and grooved near 

 the culmen from the base to the tip ; the gonys is long and curved upwards, and the 

 nostrils are partly closed by a membranous scale. All three anterior toes are con- 

 nected with a membrane at base, as in the storks, but the nail of the middle toe is 

 pectinated, as in the herons, and the tarsus is reticulate. 



The habits of the bird, especially in nesting and breeding, are nearly as remarkable 

 as its internal structure, and quite as interesting. We first introduce a general 

 account by Dr. Anton Reichenow, who made its acquaintance in western Africa. 



" The umber bird is sociable only in a slight degree. It is usually found single 

 except at the nest, in wooded districts, watching for fishes with its neck drawn in, or 

 walking with measured steps in search of frogs which, besides worms, snails, and 

 insects, constitute its food. Its flight resembles that of the ibises, neck and feet 

 being carried straight out, the former, however, as I had the opportunity to observe, 

 slightly curved. Its voice is a harsh quack, similar to that of the spoon-bill. It 

 roosts in trees or passes the night in its nest, which is a very peculiar structure, com- 

 pletely over-vaulted, and shaped like an oven, with an entrance from the side. The 

 interior is said to usually contain several divisions. The diameter of such a nest, 

 which is built of branches and twigs, is five or six feet. The eggs, three to five in 

 number, are white, and resemble those of the '.'Storks. It seems to be a stationary 

 resident throughout its range." 



Dr. Kirk says that the Africans look on ftiis bird as unfit for food, and also as 

 sacred, or as possessing the power of witchcraft; and to injure it is everywhere 

 regarded as unlucky. He asserts that the colossal nest serves for many years, and 

 Mr. E. L. Layard describes a place where he counted six or eight within fifty yards, 



