GIiriD.K - Till-; CHANErt - (iRTS. 



403 



shore ti) I lit' very tojis of tlie wooded iiioimtaiiis. (.rosae esteoined it the best wild-fowl 

 (if till' cnimtry. 



I\Ir. W. T. Miui'li, of Simnislitowii, .laiiiaica, furnishes the following full and 

 |)iu'ticiilar iiccouut of its haltits : — 



"Tlio ('hii'kiii^'-hcii iiiiiK'iirs mmc closely allied u> the Lainl than it is to tlic Water IJirds. It is found 

 in ail |iai'ts of thi' island, and is now very i oinnioii in the lowland distrii^lH of the South Midland paiisheM, 

 jUm'i ;,'"">' I'onrses, and near wet, marshy lands. It is often seen and heard in thi' driest seasons aliout the 

 ;;idlies in the vieinity of Spauishlown. It roosts on trees anil bleeds on thi' uronnd, like the < oninion 

 I'nwl — in the lowlands, usually in l'iii;iiiin fenees. It lays ei<;lit or more I'^'^s, and these measure 2\ hy 

 1 !; of an inch ; the ^rouud-eolor rufous, sjilashed at the lar^e end with small hiirnl-oehre sjiots ; and I 

 liave had ej{^M taken from April to NoveuilK'r. Tlie llesh is tender and well llavored, hut a strong |ii'e.ju- 

 illie exists a;,'aiusl it IVom the prevailinj;, thiin;^h I lielieve eiioneous, o|iiniiin that it feeds on snakes and 

 li/ai'ds, I have never found in its stoinaih any ntlier food than snails, slugs, jiortions of small eralis, and 

 witiid-wmmH {Hii//iiiiiliii /iiiliiiiiri'i). The junks of snakes referred to liy lioliinson were |iiiilialily large 

 slugs. One of my eolleetois, however, assures me that he has found a young sniike and lizaiils in them ; 

 and a young s|iortsman lately told me. in support of his assertion that it does not eontine itself to the food 

 I have nieiitioued, that whilst liiating up a gnlly-eoiuse hi' shot a White-helly Dove, and that as soon as 

 111!' liinl I'll to the giound, and notwithstanding the report of the gun, a Clueking-hen delilieiately eaint! 

 iliwii the hank and endeavon'd to earry olf the Dove. It feeds late and early, and has lieen eonsidered a 

 night-feeder. I have often hnird that the .Inniii are to he seen on moonlight nights stalking ahout thi' 

 water-Hashes at I'apage Fort and (!reat Salt I'oud, feeding on the small erahs and snails aliouuding at eer- 

 liin seasons in those Idealities ; hut (rom my own oliscrvations I U'lieve the liirds thus seen were Night 

 Herons. Aniithii opinion whieh I lielieve to lie erroneotis is, that it broods like the liarn-door Fowl. The 

 liiut of this hiid does not, however, seem to he very well adapted to seratching the giound, the hill 

 appearing more nsefid in .seeuring and pri'iiaring the I'ood it lives on." 



An oygof this species in the Smithsonian CoUeetion (No. 85131) has a rotindeil oval 

 shape, one end Iteiii,!,' oidy very slightly less rounded than the other. It measures li.'JO 

 iiiihes in length hy MtTt in iireadth. Its ground-color is a dark grayish white with 

 a light wash of sepia, and marked with a few scattered blotches of a darker sejiia. 

 Over the extreme of the larger end these are more marked and lainierous, and nearly 

 cover it. This egg was ])rociired in ("nba by Dr. Ciiiiullach. 



Family CRUTD/R — Tiik Cuanks. 



The diagnosis of this family has already been given on page 8,^)0. The species 

 lire all of very largo size, and inhabit grassy plains its well as niarshe.s. The bill is 

 iiKiderately long; the nostrils broad and ju'rviotis, the ntisal groove extending but 

 lillie beyotid them. The legs are long, but the toes are short; the hind too is very 

 short and much elevated, the ohiw searetdy touching the ground. 



The genera are few in mimber, Init one, <irns, belonging to North America. 



Gen'is GRUS, I'ali-as. 



Oru.% Pam.. Mise. /oul. 17tfti, tJ<) (tyjH', Ardea gru.i, L.), 



('iiAR. Bill Iciigtlicnt'd, straight, tlic upper nmiidihlc (inly slightly ilectirvcd (it tho extrcino 

 lip ; tilt! I'oiiuuissurt' and other mitliiit's straight. Nasiil groove very large iintl ()|U'ii, extending 

 over the ho-snl two thirds of the liill. Nostrils hroadly o])en, pervious ; the anterior extremity half 

 way from the tip of lull to eye. The iipjM'r half tif the head naked, warty, Imt with short hairs. 



Legs much lengthened ; toes short, hartUy mure than one third the tarsus. Inner toe rather 



