386 
AN ABSTEMIOUS BIRD. 
proportion to his size. Mr. Bennett gives as his daily bill of fare a 
pound and a half of meat, or an equal allowance of fish and reptiles. 
He takes up his food with the tip of his beak, throws it into the 
air, and catches it as it falls ; if it be hard or cartilaginous, he care- 
fully bruises and pounds it before eating. He does not like spoiled 
meat, and will eat only Avhat is quite fresh and good. He usually 
divides his fish into two parts ; those which are long, like the eel, 
he swallows whole. A commendable regularity is preserved in his 
meals ; he generally eats only in the morning and evening. Some of 
us, perhaps, might learn a lesson from the jabiru, and would thrive all 
the better if contented with two meals a day ! He drinks, however, 
several times ; and, pour passer le temps, hunts up a few insects, snaps 
at a gnat on the wing, and makes prize of a beetle or two. 
Brehm quotes from Boderius the following account of the jabirus 
in the zoological garden at Cologne : — 
" The jabiru," he says, " is one of our most remarkable birds. His 
high stature, the peculiar conformation and vivid colouring of his 
beak, the sharply defined tints of his plumage, all draw towards him 
the attention of visitors. So far as I can judge from the three speci- 
mens in our possession, he is a long-lived bird. Two of them, each 
about two 3'ears old, have not yet developed to the size of the tliird, 
whose age must be six years at least ; the three colours of their beak 
arc not as yet well defined; their plumage, though very like that of 
their companion, is still shaded with a dull gray. In spite of their 
youth, this couple seem already united by the bonds of a warm afiec- 
tion. They bill quite lovingly; and when they come together again 
after a short separation, salute each other with joyous clackings. 
Evidently their mutual sentiments overpass the limits of brotherly and 
sisterly regard. In relation to man they show a confidence and a 
prudence equal to that of the storks, and they quickly recognize all who 
are friendly disposed towards them. Meat they partake of with as 
much zest as fish ; and to variations of temperature they do not seem 
particularly susceptible. They spend the summer on the brink of an 
artificial pond ; and it is with lively pleasure that we watch them in 
their majestic promenades. All their movements are captivating. 
