BIRDS — AEAMIDAE — ^AEAMUS GIGANTEUS. 



657 



Family AEAMIDAE. 



The Aramidae of Bonaparte embrace a single genus, Aramus, wliicli most authors place in 

 the Ballidae. 



ARAMUS, Vieill. 



^rarmis, Vieill. Analyse, 1816. Type Ardea scolopacea, Gm. (G. R. Gray.) 



Ch. — Bill elongated, much compressed, both mandibles decurved at tip. Gonya very long. Bill of equal width nearly from 

 base lo tip ; nostrils pervious, in the basal fourth of the bill. Head feathered to bill ; eyelids only naked. Legs lengthened ; 

 tibia half bare ; tarsus longer than middle toe ; toes without basal membrane ; outer lateral rather longer than inner ; middle 

 claw not pectinated. The tarsi are broadly scutellate anteriorly. 



The wings are broad and rounded ; the tertials equal to the primaries. The first quill is 

 scarcely longer than the tenth, and subfalcate. The tail is composed of twelve feathers. 



Two species are at present known to naturalists, until recently supposed to be one. Oabanis 

 was the first to point out the differences between them and to insist that they were distinct, and 

 not merely adult and young. 



Comparative measurements of species. 



AEAMUS aiGANTEUS, Baird. 

 Caran; Crying Bird ; Courlan. 



Rallus giganteus, Bon. J. A. N. So. V, 1825, 31. 



Aramus scolopaceus, Bon. Am. Orn. Ill, 1828, 111 ; pi. xxvi. — Ib. Conspectus, II, 1855, 104. (Young only.) — Ib. 

 Syn. 309.— NuTTALL, Man. II, 1834, 68.— Ann. Orn. Biog. IV, 1838, 543 ; not pi. 377, which is 

 Jl. scolopaceus. — Is. Syn. 219. — Ib. Birds Amer. V, 1842, 181 ; not pi. 312, which is A. scolopaceus. 



Mtherodius holostictus, Cabanis, Jour. IV, 1856, 426. 



Sp. Ch. — General color olive chocolate brown, each feather except the quills streaked centrally with white, as a lanceolate 

 Spot ; the colors becoming lighter towards the bill ; the chin and upper part of the throat whitish. The under tail coverts and 

 rump almost chocolate brown and unspotted. Length, 27.50 ; wing, 13 ; tarsus, 5.03 ; gape of bill, 5.28. 



Hab. — Florida and West Indies. 



With a general resemblance to the typical Aramus scolopaceus^ of Brazil, the species 



'Aramus scolopaceus, Vieillot. 



Ardea scolopacea, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 647. 



Aramus scolopaceus, Vieillot, Diet. — Ib. Gal. des Ois. II, 134 ; pi. 252. — Bonap. Consp. II, 1855, 103, adult, not ths 



supposed young, nor of Am. Orn. — Aud. Orn. Biog. IV ; pi. 377. — Ib. Birds Am. V ; pi. 312. — 



Bcrmeister, Thiere Bras. II, 1856, 380. 

 Rallus ardeoides, Spix. Av. Bras. II, 72 ; pi. xci. 

 Rallus gigas, Licht. Verz. Doubl. 1823, 79. 

 J^otherodius guarauna, Wagler, Syst. Av. 1827.— Ib. Isis, 1829, vi. 



July 24, 1858. 



83 b 



