248 AYES. 



of till? preceding groii]i, wliieli is tmcealjlc in tlieir \vliole anatomy; and are nearly alJioil to certain 

 Lapwings, ^vhicll we believe tlicy also resemble in tlie numljer and cbaraeter uf tlieir eggs.] 



America produces some species wliicli have a flat naked membrane at the base of the billj which is reflected over 

 part of the forehead. As 



The Common .Tacana (P. ,/rtC(7/m, Lin.).— Biark, with a rufous mantle; tlie primary wiiiL,^-eoverts yreen ; and 

 fleshy ■wattles uiiiJlt the beak. It is the cominoncst of those inhabiting tlie hot climates of . meriea, and has \ery 

 sharp spurs. 



Some of the same kind are found in Asia, as 



The Bronzed Jacana (P. <enea). The body black, ehanp^in^ to bhie and violet, a bronzed-;,^reen mantle, blood- 

 red croup and tail, the anterior \^■illfI;-featllers ^'■I'een, and a white streak behind the eye. Its spurs are small and 

 blunt. 



Others have been discoM.Ted in the east in wbieh this membrane does not exisf, and which are otherwise 

 remarkable for some sinf^ular differences in the proportions of their quill-feathers. As 



The Long-tailed Jacana (P. shieti.yi.f). — Brown, with the head, throat, fore-neck, and winir-eoverts, white, the 

 hind-neck adorned with silky feathers of a g'-'Iden- yellow colour, and a small pedieillated appendage t(j the tips of 

 some of the quill feathers. 



There is one also in the east wliieh is crested, and lias no spurs to the wiiii;s, (the P. gaUixacco, Teni.). 



Tiriv. Scream1':r {Palainedea, Lin.) — 

 Resembles the Jacanas, liut on a very large scale, by the two stent spurs which it bears on each wing, 

 and by its long toes and strong claws, more particularly that on the hind-toe, which is long and 

 straight as in the Larks ; but its beak, which is slightly cleft, is neither much compressed nor bulging, 

 and its upper mandible is a little arcuated. The legs are reticulated. 



llie species known, the '.borned Screamer (P. coniuta), termed in Brazil Jn/iinw, and Cfniionche in Cayenne, is 

 laro:"er thari a Goose, and Idackish, with a rufous spot on the shouMer, the top of its head bearing- a singular orna- 

 ment, consisting of a long and slender, moveable, homy stem. Its toes have no palmation. This bird inhabits 

 the inundated g;rounds of South America, and its very loud voice is heard afar off. It is strictly monog-amous : is 

 said to pursue reptiles ; but although its stomach is only slightly muscular, it scarcely feeds on any thing but 

 aquatic herbage. [The trachea of this bird has an abrupt bony box or enlargement about the middle, somewhat 

 analogous to that of the male Vchet Pochard {Oidemia fusca)}. 



A distinct genus has been made of 



The Ciiauxa {Opistolopkuii, Vicillot"), — 

 M'hich has no horn on the vortex, but the occiput is adorned with a circle of erectible feathers. The 

 liead and upper part of the neck are only covered with down, and it has a black collar. A singular 

 phenomenon is exhibited by the circumstance of its skin, even that covering its legs, being inflated by 

 the intei'positinn of air between it and the muscles, so that it cracldrs under the linger. 



It is the Parra chavurin, Lin. The rest of its iilumaire is leati-iolourcd and blackish, with a white spot at the 

 bend of the wing, and another at the base of some of the large primaries. Tliere is a tolerably weli-marked [lalnia- 

 ture between its external toes. It feeds ]irincipally on aquatic herbage ; and the Indians of Carthageua rear some 

 among their flocks of Gec&e and Poultry, as thi'y deem it very courageous, and capable ui repulsing c\en a 

 Vulture. 



Near to the Screamers we think shonhl be jilaceil, although tbcy have scarcely any naked space 

 above the tarsal joint, 



The Megapodcs {Mrf/apodUis, Lesson), — 

 A genus recently discovered in New Guinea, with a vaulted beak, a little compressed, the membranous 



nostrils occupying about half its length, and ^cry stout and elevated tarsi, wdiich are seulcUated, the 

 toes (including the hind one) being long, and terminated by claws which ai'c ralluT flat. Tliev have 

 a short tail, a naked space round tiie eye, and tlicre is a small tuliercle on the carpus, the first and 

 slight vestige of the s])ur of the Screamer. The membrane between their external toes is very slight, 

 while that of the inner is rather larger. They lay dis[iroportionately large eggs for their size. 



C)ne Sjiecies is crested nearly as in the Cliauna {^1/. Dypcrrc'i't, Lesson) : t\\o others have no crest ; and a fourth 

 lias scarcely any tail. 



In tliu tribe' wherein the wings ure unarmed, Liunrcns comprises, under the genus FiiJica, 

 nil such as have the hill eontimieil backward into a sort uf shield, tliat covers the forehead ; and 

 those which do not jiossess this character be arranges In the genus Ralhis. 



