mr ' '? 



402 



Ai-ECTOKIDl'X 



l^;! 





i 



1 ': ' 



1 1 !■' "■ 



ill 



witliin fjmi.sliot, stiiiuliiif^ in the saiiu' phu't'. bobbing' its licail up and down like a 

 Sand|iipi'r, On takinj,' wiuj,' it utters a loud cluck, and if a tree is in the nei^ddior- 

 hootl gener.iily aliKl'ts on it, or, if not, usually alij,'lits in some thick part of tlir 

 marsh, and is not easily started aj,'ain. ih\ the St. .lolin's it I'eeds principally on a 

 species oi' .\'itlrit, which is extremely abundant, and also on the small unios. Its 

 ordinary note — which this bird seems to be very I'oud of uttering' — is said to in' 

 very disa},'reeable, and to reseud)le that t>f the Peacock. ISesides this it makes ;i 

 number of other sounds, all of the nu)st uidiarmonious deseriiition. Incnbation is 

 said to beijin in February. The few nests Dr. liryantsaw were made on low willows. 

 In Spriui,' (Jarden iiake he saw lour on one small island. The nnndier of ej,'^'s is 

 (inusnally lari,'e, lifteen haviufij been taken from one nest. l''rom the unsuspicious 

 nature of this bird, and the fact that it betiays its whereabouts liy loud cries. Dr. 

 liryuiit preiUcts its extermination as soon as that part (d' h'lorida is .settled. 



iMr. rmardman informs uu' that this biid is more j,'encially known in Morida ;is 

 the " liimpkin." and it is so called from the jteculiarity of its walkiuj,'. its movements 

 resemblinjf the nu)tions (d' a lanu' person. It is a veiy tame and unsuspicious binl, 

 and will not infrc(iuently answer a call, and thus betray its position to the sports- 

 man. It is of nocturnal haltit, movint; alxud in the id^ht-tinu', and durintij the hours 

 of darkness is nnich more noisy than in the daytime. 



In damaica. accordiufj; to (losse, this bird is ^'enerally known as the ''('luckiuy- 

 hen,'' from its ordinary note when nudist urln'd in its solitudes, lie nu'utions uu'ci- 

 iuf^ one in Auj,'ust. in a wood on liluelields Peak, where it was walkinji; at a little 

 distance from him, and iduckinj,' deliberately, with a voice exactly reseudiliu;^- that ot 

 a sauntering Fowl. A i)recipitous j,'idly btdiiud the lUueHelds aboninU'd with tiii> 

 species, and in February, a parching,' drouf,dd. havint,' wasted the mountain pools. tiii-> 

 bird was driven in numbers to the s]>rin!.,'s ^nishint,' out at the foot of the luountaiu. 

 He was infornu'd that it was in the habit of roostint^ in the hi.i^h trees in that nci^li- 

 borhood. and went one eveninj,' to the spot to ol)serve. .lust as the twiiiLjiit \\:is 

 fadiu},' into darkness, he bcfran to hear them sereaminfir and Hyiny; around. Tlicii' 

 notes were souuitinies a series of shrill screams uttered in succession, then a harsh 

 cry, like hrau, kvaii, knniy krvaow. All were loud, sudden, and startliu},'. Sevci:il 

 alij^hted on .a larj^e tree not far from him. but were too wary for him to a]ipio;i(!i 

 within gunshot; one. however, was secured by his servant. 



During the drought several (d' these bii'ds frecpu'iited the moi'asses near Paradise 

 Hiver, and from the summit of a matted nuiss of eonvolvuius covering a large biisli. 

 he had an cjjportunity to see and to watch their singular movenu'nts. The tangled 

 creepers atVc.-ded a sujijjort for their broad feet, and they stood boldly erect. ;is if 

 watching, in an attitude exactly like that of an Ibis, though flirting their tails in llie 

 manner of a Hai' At briid' intervals they uttered a shoit. sharp so\ind. and some- 

 times loud, harsh jcreams of /.n'noir. When alarmed they flew lu'avily and slowly. 

 with their long legs hanging down, and with outstretched neck. nud<ing a very awk- 

 ward appearance. (Jo.sse was informed that they scrat(di and jjick in the mannci' of 

 a Coninu)n Fowl. The stonuich of one that lu( examined was stuH'ed with siii:dl 

 water-snails, divested of the shells and tilling the (I'.sophagus almost to tlie fauces, 

 The piercing cries uttered at the ai)j)roaeh of night Avere not heard at any other time. 

 and (luring the day this bird eounnonly emits only its (hdiberate ehu'king. (ios-e 

 did not regard it as a nocturnal bird, but considered the.se cries as only iudieative nf 

 preparations for repose, as they soon r(dai)se into silence. 



lieing so swift of foot, this bird, in Janmica. does not confine itstdf mertdy to a 

 few localities, but ranges the lonely woods from the mangrove morasses of the sea- 



