382 
THE LIVING WORLD. 
of the greatest crane. The jacana is black, with a slightly greenish gloss, run¬ 
ning into a rusty red on the back and wing coverts. The wings are furnished 
at the bend with long, sharp claws, like the bat. At the base of the beak is 
a leathery appendage, rising to the forehead, and depending to the throat. The 
claw of the hind toe is of extraordinary length, even exceeding that of the toe 
itself. 
The Chinese Jacana, or Water Pheas¬ 
ant (Hydrophasianus sinensis ), is an ex¬ 
tremely beautiful bird, with very long, 
arched tail, like that of the golden pheas¬ 
ant, which it also resembles in other re¬ 
spects. Like that of the previous species, 
however, it is a good swimmer, and very 
graceful in all its motions. Both species 
make their nests of weeds and grasses, 
upon, a support made by weaving together 
the stems of aquatic plants. 
The Horned Screamer (Palameda 
cornuta ) is found in Central America, in¬ 
habiting the morasses of that hot country. 
Like the jacana, the shoulders of the wings 
are provided with a bold, sharp spur, which 
the bird uses with great effect against the snakes which it is often compelled 
to fight in defence of its young. It is a large bird, almost equal to the 
turkey, so that a stroke of its wing, armed as it is, may be considered as being 
more effective than that of the swan. Upon its head is a slender, horn-like 
growth about four inches long, the use of which has not been determined. 
The Stork (Ciconia alba ) is one of the best 
known and most highly respected birds, found 
in civilized countries. It is a member of the 
crane family, distinguished from others of the 
species, principally, by having eyes sur¬ 
rounded by a naked skin, and partially webbed 
toes. Its food is garbage, worms, insects, 
fishes and reptiles of several kinds. The 
most celebrated of the species is the White 
Stork, which generally passes its winters in 
the north of Africa, and particularly in Egypt, 
migrating in the summer to more northern 
countries of Europe. As the name indicates, 
the plumage of this species is clear white, with 
feathers covering the shoulders, and wing 
coverts a glossy black. When the wings are spread, the point of the quill 
feathers separate, leaving a space between that would seem to interfere with 
flight, yet few birds are stronger of wing. 
These birds have in all ages been regarded with peculiar favor, amounting 
in some countries almost to veneration, partly on account of the services which 
they perform in the destruction of noxious animals, and in removing impurities 
from the surface of the earth, and partly on account of the mildness of their 
SUN BITTERN. 
TRUMPET BIRD. 
