SCOLOPACBOUS COURLAN. 



a very different bird, a species of genuine lUs, whicb they ought to 

 place under their Tantalus, and which has nothing in common with our 

 bird except a somewhat similar speckled appearance, the only source of 

 all this confusion. 



Instituting a genus for this bird does not however decide the question 

 where it ought to be placed, for it may still be inquired in what part of 

 the system shall we arrange the genus. The reader cannot fail to be 

 surprised that we, who made a species of Rail of the same bird, should 

 place it, as a genus, in a very distant family. But this is the result of 

 more mature reflection, and however apparently remote may appear to 

 be at first sight the two families Rallidce and Ardeidce, we have already 

 seen that the subgenus Ardeola claims some analogy with the former, 

 and the Aramus forms a still better and closer link. It was principally 

 on account of the greatly compressed form of its body that we called 

 it a Rail, and upon well examining the singular form of its bill, which 

 is not observed in any other bird, every ornithologist will be satisfied 

 of the propriety of the course we have finally adopted. We have no 

 hesitation in placing it in the Ardeidce, where it is eminently distin- 

 guished from all its fellow genera by its toes cleft to the base and 

 entirely separated. Together with Eurypyga, it aberrates somewhat 

 towards the Scolo'pacidoe, whilst by the manner' of insertion of its hind 

 toe, it tends a little towards the Psophidce, subfamily Grruince (Cuvier 

 even going so far as to make it a genuine Grus), and claims again 

 a well-founded resemblance to the most typical form of the genus 

 Rallus. 



The Scolopaceous Courlan inhabits principally Cayenne, Brazil, and 

 Paraguay, where it is rather common : it is numerous in the Island of 

 Cuba, and other warm parts of America. In the United States, Florida 

 appears to be its most natural residence, and a few instances have 

 occurred of its visiting the Middle States. The Courlan leads a solitary 

 life, or at most keeps in pairs ; night and day they cry out in a loud, 

 sonorous, and resounding voice, Carau ! being in the full sense of the 

 word a Grying-Urd: its chief food is mollusca, and other aquatic ani- 

 mals, and even frogs ; but not snakes nor fishes : when frightened they 

 move their tail. Like all solitary and reserved characters, this bird is 

 remarkably shy : it carefully hides itself, but as soon as aware of being 

 disco .-ered it starts rapidly to a great elevation, its flight being long 

 continued : they walk also with great agility, but never willingly wade 

 into the water : they alight on the very summit of trees : they build in 

 the grass near stagnant water, concealing their nest with much art : 

 they la/ but two eggs : the young follow their parents soon after they 

 are hatched ; and are covered with blackish down, the throat only being 



jrhitish. 



The specimen figured was a female, killed on the fifth of February 



