132 



THAT S IT ; 



possession of its owner's atten- 

 tion, whose whole regard it en- 

 deavours to monopolize by biting 

 the legs, and driving off any 

 servant who may approach him 

 too often or too familiarly. By 

 the position of the air-bags, the 

 agami is enabled to emit its pecu- 

 liar cry, which is somewhat long, 

 without opening the bill. Like 

 all the alecterides, this bird builds 

 no nest, but scratching a shallow 

 hole at the bottom of a tree, 

 there deposits its eggs, generally 

 from ten to sixteen in number, 

 and which are of a light green 

 colour. 



The adjutant, 7, is a gigantic 

 description of stork, found in the 

 7 warmer parts 



of India, where 

 it fulfils the 

 duties of a sca- 

 venger, by re- 

 moving carrion 

 and noxious 

 animals, which 

 ■ it devours with 

 great voracity. 

 Its ordinary 

 height, in the 

 erect attitude, 

 is five feet ; its 

 height from the tip of the bill to 

 the claws being seven and a half 

 feet, and the spread of its wings 

 being fourteen or fifteen feet. 

 The head and neck are nearly 

 bare, and from the under part of 

 the neck there hangs a large 

 pouch or skin, which is capable 

 of being inflated, and which gives 

 to the bird a very strange appear- 

 ance. The beak is of enormous 

 size and strength ; and well it 

 may be, for with it the adjutant 



438. 



has to seize the most slippery 

 prey. It swallows snakes, lizards, 

 and frogs, as well as all kinds of 

 offal. In the craw of one of 

 these gigantic storks has been 

 found a land tortoise ten inches 

 long, as well as the entire body 

 of a large black cat. " In its 

 wild state," says Dr. Carpenter, 

 " it usually lives in companies, 

 and chiefly frequents the mouths 

 of rivers. It may be readily 

 domesticated, but is very apt to 

 display its voracity by purloining 

 articles of food, and makes no 

 difficulty in swallowing a leg of 

 mutton, a fowl, or a hare, at one 

 mouthful. From this bird, and 

 from an allied species, in Senegal, 

 the beautiful marabou feathers 

 are obtained." 



The albatross, 8, is one of a 

 genus of web-footed birds, com- 

 prising three species. The genus 



439. 



is distinguished by a very strong, 

 hard, long beak, which is straight 

 to near its extremity, when it 

 suddenly curves downwards. The 

 upper mandible appears composed 

 of many articulated pieces, fur- 



