The brace of gigantic birds, that had thus alighted by the shore of the
little lake, were, to say the least, uncouth creatures; for the whole
ornithological world might be ransacked without finding a greater oddity
than the _adjutant_.
In the first place, it stands six feet upon its long, straight shanks;
though its actual length, measuring from the tip of its bill to the
termination of its claws, is full seven and a half. The beak, of
itself, is over a foot in length, several inches in thickness, with a
gibbous enlargement near the middle, and having both mandibles slightly
curved downwards.
The spread of a full-grown adjutant's wing is fifteen feet, or five
yards, from tip to tip--quite equalling in extent either that of the
Chilian condor or the "wandering" albatross.
In colour the adjutant may be described as black above and white
underneath, neither [that] being very pure. The upper plumage is a
dirty brownish black; while the belly and under parts present a dull
white appearance,--partly from an admixture of greyish feathers, but
also from the circumstance that the bird is usually bedaubed with dirt--
as mud from the marshes, where it feeds, and other filth, in which it
seems to take delight. But for this foulness, the legs of the adjutant
would be of a dark colour; but in the living bird they are never seen of
the natural hue--being always whitened by the dust shaken out of its
plumage, and other excrement that attaches itself to the skin.
The tail is black above and white underneath--more especially the under
coverts, which are of a pure white. These last are the plumes so highly
prized under the name of "marabout feathers," an erroneous title,
arising through a mistake--made by the naturalist Temminck in comparing
the Indian adjutant with another and very different species of the same
genus--the marabout stork of Africa.
One of the distinctive characteristics of the adjutant, or "argala," as
it is better known to the Indians,--and one, too, of its ugliest
"features,"--is a naked neck of a flesh-red colour the skin shrivelled,
corrugated, and covered with brownish hairs. These "bristles" are more
thickly set in young birds, but become thinner with age, until they
almost totally disappear--leaving both head and neck quite naked.
This peculiarity causes a resemblance between the adjutant bird and the
vultures; but indeed there are many other points of similarity; and the
stork may in all respects be regarded as a vulture--the vulture of the
_grallatores_, or waders.
In addition to the naked neck, the adjutant is furnished with an immense
dew-lap, or pouch which hangs down upon its breast--often more than a
foot in length, and changing from pale flesh colour to bright red, along
with the skin of the throat. At the back of the neck is found still
another singular apparatus--the use of which has not been determined by
the naturalist. It is a sort of vesicular appendage, capable of being
inflated with air; and supposed to serve as an atmospheric buoy to
assist in sustaining the bird in its flight. The inflation has been
observed to take place under exposure to a hot sun; and, therefore, it
is natural to infer, that the rarefaction of the air has something to do
in causing [the bird to use this organ]. As the adjutant often flies to
a great height, it is possible that this balloon-like apparatus is
necessary to sustaining it in the rarefied atmosphere found at such an
elevation. The annual migration of the bird over the lofty chain of the
Himalayas might not be possible, or if possible, more difficult, without
this power of decreasing the specific gravity of its body.
It is scarce necessary to say that the adjutant--like all birds of the
family to which it belongs--is a filthy and voracious feeder;
carnivorous in the highest degree; and preferring carrion and garbage to
any other sort of food. It will kill and swallow live kind--such as
frogs, snakes, small quadrupeds, and birds--the latter not so very small
either: since it has been known to bolt a whole fowl at a single
"swallow." Even a cat or a hare can be accommodated with a passage down
its capacious gullet; but it will not attempt to kill either one or the
other: since, notwithstanding its gigantic size, it is one of the
veriest cowards in creation. A child, with a bit of a switch, can at
any time chase the adjutant away; and an enraged hen will put it to
flight whenever it strays into the neighbourhood of her young brood. It
does not retreat, without first making a show of defiance--by placing
itself in a threatening attitude--with reddened throat, and beak wide
agape, from which latter proceeds a loud roaring, like that of a bear or
tiger. All this, however, is mere braggadocio; for, on the enemy
continuing the attack, it immediately cools down, and betakes itself to
ignominious flight.
Such are a few peculiarities of the gigantic stork, known as the
_adjutant_ or _argala_. It only remains to be added, that there are at
least two, perhaps three, other species of storks of very large
dimensions--though not so large as this one--that for a long time have
been confounded with it. One of these is the _marabou_; which inhabits
the tropical regions of Africa, and which also produces the plumes so
much prized in the world of fashion. The feathers of the African
species, however, are far less beautiful and valuable than those from
the tail of the adjutant; and it is these last that are really best
known as _marabout feathers_, in consequence of the mistake made by
Temminck, and propagated by the anatomist Cuvier.
Another great stork--differing both from the _argala_ of Asia and the
_marabou_ of Africa--inhabits the Island of Sumatra. It is known to the
natives as the "Boorong Cambay;" while in the neighbouring Island of
Java is found either a fourth species of these gigantic birds, or the
same that belongs to Sumatra.
It is somewhat singular that such creatures should have remained so long
unknown to the scientific world. It is not much more than half a
century since travellers began to describe them with any degree of
exactness; and even at the present time their history and habits have
received but very slight elucidation. This is the more surprising when
we consider that on the banks of the Ganges--even in Calcutta itself--
the adjutant is one of the most common birds--constantly stalking about
the houses, and entering the enclosures with as much familiarity, as if
it was one of the regular _domestics_ of the establishment!
Its services as a "scavenger" procure for it an immunity from
persecution; and it is not only tolerated by the people, but encouraged,
in its advances towards fellowship with them; notwithstanding that at
times it becomes rather troublesome in its attentions to the young
ducklings, chicklings, and other denizens of the farmyard.
Sometimes they are not even contented with such fare as may be found
outside; but have been known to enter the bungalow; snatch a smoking
joint from the table; and swallow it, before either master or servant
could rescue the dainty morsel from between their long and tenacious
mandibles!
When seen in flocks, wading through the water,--with wings outstretched,
as is their custom,--they may be taken for a fleet of small boats. At
other times, when stalking about over the sandy shores; and picking up
the _debris_ strewed along the banks of the sacred river; they resemble
a crowd of native women engaged in the like occupation.
Ofttimes may they be seen feeding voraciously upon the filthiest carrion
of animals; and not unfrequently upon a human body in a state of
putrefaction--the corpse of some deluded victim to the superstition of
Juggernaut--which has been thrown into the so-styled _sacred_ river, to
be washed back on the beach, an object of contention between _pariah_
dogs, vultures, and these gigantic cranes of the Ganges!