ORNITHOLOGY. 



627 



pie, furnished with strong spurs. The tarsi are short and 

 thick, the toes and claws long. Some systematic writers 

 include in this genus only a single species, P. cornuta, 

 Linn., called kamichi or the horned screamer, a South 

 American bird, larger than a goose, with a slender move- 

 able horny projection on the forehead. Though this bird 

 affects inundated places, its toes are without palmation. 

 In its general aspect, and several of its special habits, it 

 exhibits an approach to the gallinaceous order ; and al- 

 though its stomach is but slightly muscular, it lives much 

 on grain and herbage. 1 It is also easily reduced to the 

 domestic state ; and although it lays only two eggs, the 

 young speedily follow the parents. 



It is by no means easy to conjecture the natural uses 

 of these formidable weapons on the wings of this and se- 

 veral other species. One would suppose them intended 

 to wage war among their kind,— yet the birds so endowed 

 are for the most part peaceable, and averse to broil and 

 battle, — even in most instances of a timid and fearful na- 

 ture ; and in the case of several of the plover tribe, there 

 is no appreciable difference in the habits of the armed and 

 unarmed kinds. All who have studied the manners of the 

 kamichis agree that they are the gentle inhabitants of 

 moist savannahs, or the shores of those extensive rivers 

 which intersect the southern portion of America, and that 

 there is nothing pugnacious in their temper. Yet they 

 are " doubly armed," the margin of each wing bearing a 

 pair of very large spurs, thick at the base, but tapering 

 sharply to a point, and, no doubt, when driven forcibly for- 

 ward by the muscular action of a powerful wing, capable 

 of inflicting such a blow as would at once deprive most 

 small animals of life. 



Another bird, by some referred to our present genus, 

 is Pal. chavaria, Temm. (PL Col. 219), the Parra chava- 

 ria of.Linn., known in some English works as the faithful 

 jacana. Instead of a horn, its head is ornamented by a 

 feathered crest, and there is an obvious palmation between 

 the outer and middle toes. s For these and other reasons 

 it forms the genus Chauna of Illiger. Its head and upper 

 neck are clothed with down, the latter being surrounded 

 by a black collar. The rest of the plumage is lead colour 

 and blackish, with a white spot upon the front of the wings, 

 and another on the base of the primaries. Linnaeus, on 

 the authority of Jacquin, gives the following history of this 

 bird : — " It inhabits the rivers, lakes, and marshes, near the 

 river Sinu, about thirty leagues from Carthagena, in South 

 America. It feeds on vegetables ; its gait is solemn and 

 slow, but it flies easily and swiftly ; it cannot run unless 

 assisted by the wings at the same time. When any part 

 of the skin is touched by the hand, a crackling is felt, 

 though it is very downy beneath the feathers ; and this 

 down adheres so closely as to enable the bird at times to 

 swim, notwithstanding the length of its legs and of its 

 cleft feet ; which latter enable it also to walk on the aqua- 

 tic plants of the pools. It has two strong and pointed 

 spurs on the bend of the wing, which are, however, hid- 

 den when the latter is closed, but when expanded they 

 become formidable weapons, aided by the strong and 

 lengthened wing ; and by means of them it is able to drive 

 off birds as big as the carrion vulture, and even that bird 

 itself. The natives, who keep poultry in great numbers, 

 have one of these tame, which goes along with the flock 

 about the neighbourhood to feed during the day, when 

 this faithful shepherd defends them against birds of prey : 

 it never deserts the charge committed to its care, although 

 able to fly, but returns home with them safe in the even- 

 ing. It is so tame as to suffer itself to be handled by a 

 grown person, but will not permit children to attempt the 

 same. Its voice is clear and loud, but far from agreeable." 2 



Baron Cuvier here places the genus Megapodius, Quoy Gralla- 

 et Gaim., of which the bill is slender, straight, flattened, tores, 

 and enlarged at the base, restricted at the centre, and in- "*"— V^ 

 flated towards the point. The tail is small and wedge- 

 shaped. The general form is massive, the plumage usual- 

 ly brown, without lustre. The species inhabit New Gui- 

 nea, the Marianne Islands, &c. and are described in the 

 voyages of Freycinet and Duperrey. They are remark- 

 able for the largeness of their eggs. Some authors place 

 them with the genera Crax and Penelope, rather than in 

 the grallatorial order. 



The extensive genus Rallus, Linn., is in one or other 

 of its forms known in almost every country of the world. 

 With Bechstein, we would restrict the title to such as have 

 the bill longer than the head, rather slender, compressed 

 at the base, with the tip cylindrical, and slightly curved. 

 As a British example may be mentioned our common 

 water-rail (R. aquaticvs), a shy and solitary bird, which 

 resides throughout the year in Britain. It is extensively 

 spread over Europe, but does not occur in America. The 

 land-rails form the genus Crex, Bechstein, and have the 

 bill shorter than the head, thick at the base, somewhat 

 cultrate, and compressed. The wings are armed with a 

 small concealed spine. Besides the well-known corn-crake 

 (C. pratensis), a summer bird of passage, of which the de- 

 ceptive note is heard so often during evening twilight, we 

 have the spotted crake, C. porzana, Baillon's crake, C. 

 Baillonii (Olivaceous gallinule of Mont. ?), and the little 

 crake, C. pusilla. The Carolina rail seems a Crex in the 

 form of its bill, though its aquatic habits assimilate it to 

 Rallus. It assembles during autumn in vast numbers on 

 the reedy shores of the larger rivers in the middle and 

 southern states of North America, and affords abundant 

 occupation to sportsmen. Any active and expert marks- 

 man may kill ten or twelve dozen in a few hours. It win- 

 ters to the south of the Union. The diet of the different 

 species probably varies with time and place. The Ame- 

 rican bird just named is very fond of rice. Our own spe- 

 cies feed both on grain and insects. Sir W. Jardine found 

 a short-tailed field-mouse in the stomach of a land-rail. 

 This bird is called king of the quails in some continental 

 countries, in consequence of its arriving and departing 

 with these birds. 



The old genus Fulica, Linn., has, like the preceding, 

 been also subdivided, in accordance with the form of the 

 bill and lobation of the toes. For example, the genus 

 Gallinula of Briss. and Lath, has the bill resembling 

 that of Crex, but there is a flat fleshy shield upon the fore- 

 head. The toes are long, and bordered by an extremely 

 narrow lateral margin. We here place our British galli- 

 nule, familiarly known by the name of water-hen, G. cklo- 

 ropus, Lath. This bird, though with us a permanent re- 

 sidenter, is migratory in all the more northern parts of 

 Europe. It occurs both in Asia and Africa, but not in 

 America, as some erroneously suppose. It swims and 

 dives well, though its feet might, a priori, be deemed but 

 little fit for such aquatic service. The water-hen is of 

 rather, familiar habits, that is, a pair are sure to make 

 their appearance as soon as any small artificial piece of 

 water has been formed, even in the closest proximity to 

 human dwellings. It builds by the water-side, and lays a 

 great number of eggs, from eight to ten, which it is said 

 to cover carefully during its occasional absence in search 

 of food. The purple and Florida gallinules ( G. lllartbiica 

 and galeata) occur in North America ; and a Javanese spe- 

 cies ( G. ardosiaca) is described by M. Vieillot. 



In the genus Porphyrio of Brisson, the bill is higher 

 in relation to its length than in the preceding. The 

 toes are extremely long, with scarcely a perceptible bor- 



1 .Bajon, Mem. sur Cayenne, t. ii, p. 284. 



? Shaw's General Zoology, vol, xii. p. 272. 



