Of course Hans, aided by the others, immediately set about skinning the
widow-birds, with an eye to their being preserved. Arend was his
principal assistant, for Arend was clever with his hands; and was,
moreover, as good a taxidermist as Hans himself. It never troubled
Arend to know the genus or species of a bird; but give him the bird
itself, and he could strip off its skin and mount it without leaving a
trace of a ruffled feather.
While thus engaged, a noise fell upon the ears of the young yagers that
caused all of them to start--Hans and Arend dropping the skins of the
widow-birds, upon which they had been operating.
The noise which produced this startling effect, was neither more nor
less than the cry of a bird, and but a small bird at that. The note
very much resembled the well-known call of the mistle-thrush or
screech-cock, (_Turdus viscivorus_). It was no louder, and the bird
that uttered it was no bigger than this thrush; but for all that, the
note produced a somewhat terrifying effect upon the yager camp. All of
the party, both yagers and attendants, knew the cry well. Even the
buck-dogs sprang to their feet, and howled as it reached their ears; and
the whole camp was suddenly in a commotion.
Now, my young reader, you will wonder why the cry of a bird, not bigger
than a blackbird, could create terror in the minds of such courageous
boys as our yagers; and you will naturally desire to know what sort of
bird this was.
I have said the boys all knew it, the attendants and the dogs. Nay,
more, the horses and oxen recognised that cry; and its effect on them
was not less wonderful; for the moment it was heard, the horses tossed
up their heads, snorted as if in terror, and commenced _stampeding_ over
the ground. The oxen exhibited similar symptoms of affright. Yes,
horses, oxen, dogs, Kaffir, Bushman, and yagers, were all affected by
the screech of that bird, as it pealed along the rocks, and echoed
through the glen. All recognised in it the warning cry of the
_Pique-Boeuf_!
An account of this singular bird will explain the cause of the
consternation which its note had thus suddenly produced.
The "Pique-Boeuf" is about the size of a starling, of a greyish colour
over the body, with short wings, and tail somewhat of a darker hue. Its
feet are formed for grasping, and its claws are hooked and compressed.
The most remarkable part of the bird is its bill. This is of a
quadrangular shape, the lower mandible much stronger than the upper one,
and both swelling towards the tip, so as to resemble a forceps or
pincers. The purpose of this formation will be seen, when we come to
speak of the habits of the bird.
These are, indeed, peculiar; and, by the laws of ornithology, stamp the
Pique-Boeufs as a distinct genus of birds.
A celebrated French ornithologist, and a true _field naturalist_ as
well--Le Vaillant--thus describes the habits of these birds:--
"The bill of the Pique-Boeuf is fashioned as a pair of solid pincers, to
facilitate the raising out of the hides of quadrupeds the larvae of the
gadflies, which are there deposited and nourished. The species,
therefore, anxiously seek out the herds of oxen, of buffaloes, of
antelopes--of all the quadrupeds, in short, upon which these gadflies
deposit their eggs. It is while steadied, by a strong gripe of the
claws in the tough and hairy hide of these animals, that, with strong
blows of the bill and powerful squeezes of the skin, at the place where
the bird perceives an elevation, which indicates the presence of a
maggot, he extracts it with effect. The animals, accustomed to the
treatment, bear with the birds complacently, and apparently perceive the
service which they render them, in freeing them from these true
parasites, which live at the expense of their proper substance."
Now, there are many species of birds, as well as the Pique-Boeufs, that
lead a very similar life, living principally upon the parasite insects
that infest the bodies of the larger quadrupeds, both wild and tame. In
America, the "cow-bunting" (_Icterus pecoris_) is so termed from its
habit of feeding upon the parasite insects of cattle; and among other
animals it is a constant attendant upon the immense herds of buffaloes
that roam over the great American prairies. Other species of icterus
also frequent the vast cattle-herds of the South American plains.
The red-billed weaver-bird (_Textor erythrorhynchus_) is equally the
companion of the African buffalo; and any one who has visited an
extensive sheep-pasture cannot fail to have observed the common starling
perched upon the woolly backs of the sheep. The white-necked crow
(_Corvus albicollis_) is noted for similar practices, as well as several
other species of _Corvidae_ and _Sturnidae_. All of these kinds,
however--the white-necked crow excepted--content themselves with only
taking away the parasites, which are attached to the skins of the
animals, or such as live among the hair and wool--none of the aforesaid
birds having in their bills the necessary strength for extracting the
maggots which are lodged beneath. Now, with the Pique-Boeufs, there is
no difficulty about this. Their peculiar beaks enable them to penetrate
the toughest hides of the large quadrupeds; and although they also feed
upon the ticks and other parasites that rest upon the surface, they
prefer the larvae that lie beneath. Hence, these birds are entitled to
be regarded as distinct from any of the others; and naturalists have
formed them into a separate genus--the genus _Buphaga_, or
"beef-eaters."
It is scarcely necessary to point out the absurdity of this name, which
seems to have been given from a misapprehension of the habits of the
birds. The Pique-Boeuf is no beef-eater, but a "beef-picker," if you
will, as the French phrase very properly expresses it. But M. Brisson,
who gave the name, seems very much to have resembled his more celebrated
countryman--the great _closet naturalist_, Buffon--in ascribing such
habit to birds and animals as suited his fancy.
_Buphaga_ is the name given, and so let it stand.
Only two species have been yet observed. One is the _Buphaga
erythrorhyncha_, or red-billed beef-eater--so called from the colour of
its beak, which is a beautiful coral-red--while the more common species
already described has a yellow beak. The latter is the _Buphaga
Africana_. Both species are birds of Africa--the "coral bill" (_Bec
corail_) being also a native of the island of Madagascar. The "coral
bill" is smaller than the _Buphaga Africana_, and somewhat different
from it in colour. The tint of its plumage is more sombre. The upper
parts, head and throat, are of an ash-brown, glazed, as it were, with
bluish; and beneath, the bird is of a yellowish rust colour. Its bill,
also, is smaller and less powerful than that of its congener.
The Pique-Boeufs are generally seen in company; but they never fly in
large flocks. Six or eight of them may usually be observed together.
They are very wild shy birds, and it is difficult to approach within
shooting distance of them.
The only chance of getting near enough is to approach behind the body of
an ox, or some other animal--using the latter as a stalking-horse, and
driving it gently towards those beasts on whose back the birds may be
perched. The gunner, by then showing himself suddenly, may obtain a
shot at them on the wing.
Such are the habits of the Pique-Boeufs. But all this does not explain
why it was that the screech of one of these birds had thrown the camp of
the young yagers into such a state of excitement or alarm. The reason
remains to be told. It was this:--
Of all the quadrupeds to which the Pique-Boeufs attach themselves, there
are none upon which they are such constant attendants as the rhinoceros.
This animal is the victim of many parasitical insects--of ticks and
larvae. His huge body and corrugated skin, of such vast extent, offer
an ample field for such creatures, and consequently afford a supply of
food to the Pique-Boeuf, which is unfailing.
The rhinoceroses, therefore, of all the four species that inhabit South
Africa, are always attended by the beef-eaters, which, on this account,
are known among hunters as "rhinoceros-birds." Go where the rhinoceros
will, the Pique-Boeufs follow him, perching upon his back, his head, or
any other part of his body, and remaining there quite unconcernedly, as
if they regarded that situation as their natural roosting-place and
home. The rhinoceros himself never dreams of molesting them. On the
contrary, he finds their presence extremely useful to him. Not only do
they give him ease, by destroying the insects that would otherwise annoy
him, but in another sense they do him an essential service. They warn
him of the approach of the hunter, or any other danger. The moment such
appears, the rhinoceros, who himself may have been asleep, is instantly
aroused by the harsh screeching of the birds, and put upon his guard.
Should their voices fail to awake him, these cunning sentinels will
flutter around his head, and peck into his ears until they succeed in
giving the alarm. With elephants and hippopotami they act in a similar
manner; so that one of the difficulties to be encountered by the hunter
in pursuit of these animals, is the vigilance of the little winged
sentinel that thus keeps watch over their sleep!
It was this curious habit, then--well known to every creature in the
camp--that caused all hands to start up on hearing the screech of the
Pique-Boeuf. The presence of the bird announced the proximity of the
dangerous "rhinoster."