Most interesting families of birds are included in this order. First,
there are the Ostriches, which are the envy of all people cursed with
weak digestive powers; then there is the Dodo, with its mysterious and
half-told history; also the Bustards, the Coursers, the Plovers, the
Cranes, the Storks, the Sandpipers, the Snipes, &c. These varieties of
wading birds are carefully classed, and represented in the compartment
of the gallery to which the visitor has now worked his way. First in
the order of arrangement stand the ostriches, occupying the cases
(107, 109). Some naturalists refuse to class ostriches with the order
of wading birds, and elevate them to the dignity of a distinct order,
Cursores, or runners; but in the museum, as the visitor will perceive,
they are at the head of the wading order. Unscientific people know
more about the ostrich than about most other birds of foreign climes.
Few people have not heard that the egg of the ostrich weighs three
pounds--that the sun is the bird's Cantelo--that he has only two toes
to each foot--that he sometimes exceeds six feet in height--and that
it would not be an act of madness to back a stout specimen, for speed,
against an average horse. The digestion of the ostrich has been
considerably strengthened in the minds of unscientific persons by
imaginative travellers; the fact being that these birds live upon
vegetable food, occasionally swallowing stones, or a bit of iron, in
aid of that digestion which has been so misrepresented. In the cases
before the visitor are the African ostrich, and his relations, the
Australian cassowary, and the American emu--all characterised by the
absence of a hind toe. Having noticed these fine birds, the visitor
will be anxious to learn something of the mysterious case (108), which
contains a foot, the cast of a skull, and a painting. Here he sees all
that has yet been traced of the extinct dodo, a bird which is believed
to have existed in vast numbers up to a recent period, chiefly on the
Bourbon and Mauritius islands. The painting is said to be an authentic
Dutch performance, taken from the living bird at the time when the
Cape of Good Hope was doubled by adventurous men heated with
exaggerated notions of the exhaustless wealth of the Indies. Its
precise position among birds has not been finally assigned. It appears
to have been incapable of flight, to have had a vulture's head, and
the foot of a common fowl. It is conjectured that the race was
extinguished by the rapacity of the first settlers in the Mauritius,
who, finding the dodo excellent eating and an easy prey, demolished
every specimen of the species. Near these wrecks of the dodo, and in
the same case, is the New Zealand wingless bird, now almost extinct,
but to scientific men an interesting link between the bird and the
mammalia. The Bustards occupy the two next cases (110, 111) to which
the visitor should direct his attention. Here are the two bustards of
the eastern hemisphere, the great European bustard, the African ruffed
and white-eared bustards, and the Arabian bustard. The next case (112)
contains the varieties of wading birds called, from their power of
running, Coursers. These are chiefly found in Africa; but the
varieties in the case include, in addition to the North African
cream-coloured courser, and the double-collared courser, the
thick-kneed European bustard. The Plovers are arranged next in order
to the coursers. The varieties included in the case (113) are from
Africa, North America, and Europe. Here are, amongst others, the
beautiful golden-ringed and dotterel plovers of Europe, and the
American noisy plover. In the case which next claims attention (114)
are the turnstones, that turn stones on the sea-shore in search of
food; the oyster catchers, that wrench shell fish from their shells;
and the South American gold-breasted and other trumpeters. The Cranes,
of which there is an extensive collection, now claim the visitor's
attention. They are from all parts of the world, and love the borders
of rivers and lakes, where they can prey upon small reptiles and fish.
In the first cases (115-118) are the true cranes, including the common
European variety, the Indian crane, the South American caurale snipe,
the common and purple-crested herons of Europe, the Pacific heron, the
crowned heron, the North American great heron, and the African
demoiselle heron. In the two following cases (120, 121) the visitor
will find the American blue heron, and the great and little egrets;
and in the next two cases given to the crane family (122, 123) are the
bittern and little bittern of Europe, the American lineated bittern,
the squacco and night herons of Europe, the American night heron, the
European spoonbill, and the South American cinereous boatbill. The
examination of these varieties will give the visitor a clear idea of
the peculiarities of birds that frequent marshes and the borders of
streams.
The next case to which the visitor will direct his steps, is that
(124) in which the Storks of Europe and America, including the white
and black varieties, are grouped. In the case next in order of
succession to that given to the storks (125) are some interesting
branches of the crane family, including the Indian gigantic crane.
Here also are the jabirus of America and Senegal, and the
North-American ibis, which will introduce the spectator to the case of
ibises, among which is the sacred ibis of the Egyptians; the
black-headed Indian ibis; and that of New Holland. Next, in order
(127), are the Godwits, which follow the mild seasons from one country
to another; among them are the English red godwit; and the Australian
terek snipe. In the next case (128) the visitor should examine the
varieties of Snipes and Sand-pipers it contains. These birds hunt
their food in gravel and amid stones in most localities. The most
remarkable of the group are the lanky avoçets, with their long legs
adapted to hunt rivers for fish spawn and water insects: among them,
the long-legged plover should be noticed. The varieties of the
sand-piper, in the next case (129), now claim a careful inspection.
Sand-pipers inhabit various parts of the world, and, like the ibises,
love the neighbourhood of water, where they seek the food congenial to
them. The Phalaropes, which are also represented in this case, are
natives of the eternal ice of the arctic regions, where they subsist
upon crustacea. The visitor passes from the sand-pipers to the case of
Snipes (130), including the British varieties, and the snipe of India.
In the next case (131) the visitor should notice the Chinese and South
American jacanas, that walk about unconcernedly upon the floating
leaves of water plants; with these are grouped the South American
Screamers. The three last cases devoted to wading birds, contain the
varieties of the British and North American Rails: the varieties of
the Gallinule, including the European purple gallinule, the South
American variety, and the Australian black-backed variety; and the
Finfoots of Africa and America. All these birds inhabit marshy land,
or the banks of streams, and derive their food from the insect life
that swarms near the water. With the finfoots the collection of wading
birds closes; but before going on his way, the visitor should glance
at the paintings which are hung about the wall cases in this room or
compartment. These include portraits of Lord Chancellor Bacon; Andrew
Marvel; a copy from the picture at Wimpole of Admiral Lord Anson;
Camden; Matthew Prior; William Cecil, Lord Burghley; Sir Isaac Newton;
Archbishop Cranmer; and George Buchanan. Having examined these works,
the visitor's way lies in a direct line to the last room of the
eastern gallery--to that, the wall cases of which, are filled with the
families of