384 FOREIGN BIRDS. 



The Wattle -Bird ( 4S ) hiss'd in Australian groves ; 

 And the Sheath-bill ( 46 ) was seeking for shell-fish 

 he loves. 



has the bill vermilion, hack and rump ash-brown ; belly black ; 

 feeds on fruit, which it swallows whole, and, after digesting the 

 bulk, casts up the stones ; has a voice resembling the grunting 

 of a swine, or the bellowing of a calf ; said to be worshipped by 

 the Indians. 



The Hydrocorax, or Indian-Hornbill, inhabiting the Mo- 

 lucca Islands, has the protuberance flattened forwards; it is 

 two feet four inches long ; frequently tamed to destroy rats 

 and mice ; it feeds on the wild nutmeg, which renders its flesh 

 peculiarly aromatic. 



The Undulata, or Undulate-Hornbill, called by the na- 

 tives of Java, the Jealotjs-Hornbill, feeds the female du- 

 ring her incubation ; and, during his absence in search of food, 

 should he find, on his return, the marks of another hird near the 

 nest, he will, it is said, inclose the female in the nest, and leave 

 her to perish. — Horsfield. 



( 4S ) Order, Pic^;, (Lath) Wattle-Bird. 



The genus Callgeus, (Luih.) or Wattle-Bird, consists of 

 one species only, the Cinerea, or Cinereous-Wattle-Bird ; it 

 has an incurvate arched bill, the lower mandible shorter and 

 carunculate beneath at the base ; nostrils depressed, half co- 

 vered with a subcartilaginous membrane ; tongue subcartilagi- 

 nous, split and fringed at the top ; feet ambulatory ; length 

 fifteen inches; walks on the ground, seldom perches on trees; 

 feeds on berries, insects, and small birds ; makes a hissing and 

 murmuring noise ; flesh good ; inhabits New Zealand and 

 Australasia. 



( 46 ) Order, Grallje, (Lath.) Sheath- bill. 



The genus Vaginalis, (Lath.) or Sheath-bill, consists of 

 one species only, the Alba, or White_-Sheath-eill. It is 



