Screamers 171 



family of the present order. They number but three species, which are placed 

 in two well-marked genera; all are natives of South America. 



The Horned Screamer (Palamedea cornuta), so named from the presence 

 on the forehead of a slender, forward-curving "horn" or caruncle, some five or 

 six inches long, is a native of Guiana, Venezuela, Amazonia, and Ecuador. It is 

 about thirty-four inches in length and is glossy black above and mainly white 

 below, the feathers of the head edged with whitish and those of the front of the 

 neck and the sides with ashy ; the legs and feet are ashy gray and the iris bright 

 orange. It has a powerful voice, described as a loud and sudden hoot, but not 

 by any means so remarkable as that of the Crested Screamer (Chauna cristata), 

 the species we shall next consider. In this the plumage is slaty gray above, 

 darker on the back, and white below, the chin, neck, and cheeks also whitish; 

 the feet are red. The total length of the bird is about thirty -two inches. It is 

 without the "horn" of the first species, but in its place the head is crested. 



The Crested Screamer, or Chaja, 1 as it is called in imitation of its cry, inhabits 

 the marshes, lagoons, and level open country abounding in water and succulent 

 grasses of southern Brazil, Paraguay, and La Plata, where according to Mr. W. H. 

 Hudson it is often seen in thousands. "It is," he says, "partially aquatic in its 

 habits ; and in desert places it is usually seen in marshes, wading in the shallow 

 water, and occasionally swimming to feed on the seeds and succulent leaves of 

 water-loving plants." It also feeds upon the forage plants that have been intro- 

 duced since the European occupation of the country, being especially fond of 

 clover. Notwithstanding the presence of its powerful wing-spurs it seems to be 

 a very even-tempered and peaceful bird, rarely or never quarreling. Its voice 

 is a marked feature. To quote again from Mr. Hudson, who says on this point : 

 "The voice is very powerful. When disturbed, or when the nest is approached, 

 both birds utter at intervals a loud alarm-cry, resembling in sound the anger-cry 

 of the Peacock, but twice as loud. At other times its voice is exercised in a kind 

 of singing performance, in which male and female join, and which produces the 

 effect of harmony. The male begins, the female takes up her part, and then with 

 marvelous strength and spirit they pour forth a torrent of strangely contrasted 

 sounds, some bassoon-like in their depth and volume, some like drum-beats, 

 and others long, clear, and ringing. It is the loudest animal sound of the pampas, 

 and its jubilant martial character strongly affects the mind in that silent melan- 

 choly wilderness." They are said to sing at all seasons of the year and often at 

 all hours of the night, and when congregated in flocks they often sing in concert. 



The nest is a large though light structure of dry rushes, placed among low 

 rushes and water lilies and not infrequently is seen floating away from its moor- 

 ings. The eggs are usually five, pure white, and about the size of those of the 

 domesticated Goose. 



The remaining species (Chauna chavaria), the Derbian Screamer, is a native of 

 Venezuela and Colombia. It is a smaller bird than the others, being about twenty- 

 eight inches in length, with the plumage slaty black, the upper parts glossy and the 

 lower parts paler, the cheeks and throat white, set off sharply from a black collar. 



1 Pronounced Cha-hd. 



