differs from them most completely in the nature of his prey and in his
mode of attacking it. Like the former he always prefers live flesh
to carrion; but the food to which he is most particularly attached
consists of snakes and other reptiles, for the destruction of which he
is admirably fitted by his organization. The length of his legs not only
enables him to pursue these creatures over the sandy deserts which he
inhabits with a speed proportioned to their own, but also places his more
vulnerable parts in some measure above the risk of their venomous bite;
and the imperfect character of his talons, when compared with those of
other rapacious birds, is in complete accordance with the fact that his
feet are destined rather to inflict powerful blows, than to seize and
carry off his prey. When he falls upon a serpent, he first attacks it
with the bony prominences of his wings, with one of which he belabours
it, while he guards his body by the expansion of the other. He then
seizes it by the tail and mounts with it to a considerable height in the
air, from which he drops it to the earth, and repeats this process until
the reptile is either killed or wearied out; when he breaks open its
skull by means of his beak, and tears it in pieces with the assistance of
his claws, or, if not too large, swallows it entire.
Like the Eagles these birds live in pairs, and not in flocks; they build
their aiery, if so it may be termed, on the loftiest trees, or, where
these are wanting, in the most bushy and tufted thickets. They run with
extreme swiftness, trusting, when pursued, rather to their legs than to
their wings; and as they are generally met with in the open country, it
is with difficulty that they can be approached sufficiently near for
the sportsman to obtain a shot at them. They are natives of the south
of Africa, and appear to be tolerably numerous in the neighbourhood of
the Cape; where, it is said, they have been tamed to such a degree as
to render them useful inmates of the poultry-yard, in which they not
only destroy the snakes and rats which are too apt to intrude upon those
precincts, but even contribute to the maintenance of peace among its more
authentic inhabitants by interposing in their quarrels and separating the
furious combatants who disturb it by their brawls.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE VIRGINIAN HORNED-OWL.
_STRIX VIRGINIANA._ LINN.
All the preceding birds belong to that division of the Rapacious Order
which pursue their prey in the open face of day, and are consequently
termed Diurnal; but those which we have now to notice are on the contrary
Nocturnal in their habits, and only venture abroad in the shades of the
evening, or under cover of the darkness of the night. They are readily
distinguished from the former by their short and compressed bill, curved
from its very base; by the anterior position of their eyes, which are of
great size and surrounded by a circular disc of stiff hairs and feathers,
covering the base of the bill anteriorly and extending posteriorly over
the ears, which, as well as the disc, vary considerably in size in the
different races; by the great extent of dilatation of which their pupils
are capable, a provision admirably calculated for enabling them to see by
night; by the breadth and apparent bulk of their heads and bodies, both
of which are thickly clothed with long and soft feathers; by the plumage
of their legs, which in all the European species is continued down to
the very toes, and sometimes even along them; by the direction of their
toes, which are all naturally turned forwards, the external one being,
however, capable of taking an opposite direction; and by the high degree
of retractility and sharpness of their claws.
All these birds were comprehended by Linnæus under the generic name
of Strix, but later naturalists have subdivided them into several
genera, dependent on the size of the ears and of the ocular discs, on
the presence or absence of two remarkable tufts of feathers on the
head having somewhat the appearance of horns, and on the covering of
the legs and feet. The Virginian Horned Owl is spread over nearly the
whole continent of America from north to south. Its plumage is brown
above, marked with numerous transverse black stripes, and the feathers
of the under surface are of a dirty white, transversely striped with
blackish-brown.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE DEEP BLUE MACAW.
_ANODORHYNCHUS MAXIMILIANI._ SPIX.
The second Order of Birds, which comprehends both the Picæ and Passeres
of Linnæus, is essentially distinguished from the rest of the class by
the structure of the feet, which are formed for perching. Those of the
Scansorial tribe in particular, to which all the species to be here
noticed belong, have two of the toes directed forwards, and the remaining
two directed backwards, in such a manner as to enable them to grasp
the branch of a tree or other similar objects with peculiar firmness,
and consequently to climb with more than usual agility. This section
comprehends some of the most gorgeously coloured and splendid among
birds, as well as those which evince the highest degree of intelligence,
in the imitation especially of the human voice, for which they have been
celebrated from the earliest times.
The beautiful bird, the portrait of which is prefixed to the present
article, is one of the rarest of its tribe, and has until very lately
been confounded by ornithologists with the Hyacinthine Macaw, a fine but
much less splendid species. It is figured by M. Spix in his Brazilian
Birds under the name which we have adopted; but is there given without
either characters or description. Its claim to generic distinction
would seem to depend on the excessive length and powerful curvature of
its claws and upper mandible, and on the slight developement of the
toothlike process of the latter. Its colour is throughout of a deep and
brilliant blue; the beak, legs, and claws, are black; and the cere and a
naked circle round each of the eyes are of a bright yellow. Our specimen
measures two feet four inches from the top of the head to the extremity
of the tail, and the expansion of his wings is four feet. The length of
the upper mandible is five inches, and that of the lower, two.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE BLUE AND YELLOW MACAW.
_MACROCERCUS ARARAUNA._ VIEILL.
The genus Macrocercus is characterized by the robustness of its beak,
which is extremely broad and powerful; by the nakedness of its face,
which is sometimes entirely bare, and sometimes partially covered with
lines of short and scattered feathers; and by the size and form of its
tail, which is longer than the body, regularly graduated, and terminating
in an acute apex. The whole of the species are American, and are
remarkable for the brilliancy of their colours, which are perhaps more
varied and more gaudy than those of any of the other modern divisions
of the Linnean genus Psittacus. They are consequently more sought after
as objects of luxury and elegance, and bear a higher comparative value
than the rest of the Parrots. In common with the entire tribe, they
inhabit the tropical regions of the earth, and live chiefly upon fruits
and seeds. Among the latter they uniformly give the preference to such as
are provided with a hard and shelly covering. These they crack with great
dexterity, carefully rejecting the outer coat, and swallowing only the
internal nut.
The Blue and Yellow Macaw is one of the finest of the group. The whole of
its upper surface is covered with plumage of the most beautiful azure;
the feathers of the under parts on the contrary are of a brilliant
yellow. The naked part of the cheeks, which are white slightly tinged
with flesh colour, is ornamented with three lines of minute blackish
feathers; and the throat is surrounded by a broad collar of greenish
black. The forehead is yellowish green.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE YELLOW-CRESTED COCKATOO.
_PLYCTOLOPHUS SULPHUREUS._ VIEILL.
The Cockatoos have a strong, broad, and well curved beak; their eyes
are surrounded by a naked space; their tail is short, square, and equal
at the end; and their head is furnished with a remarkable crest of
long and slender feathers, which may be raised or depressed at will,
and are frequently of a different colour from the rest of the plumage.
This latter character forms the most distinguishing mark of the group,
which is partly indigenous to India and the Indian Islands, and partly
to Australia. They are fond of damp and marshy situations, and usually
inhabit the neighbourhood of rivers or of smaller streams, in which they
indulge themselves with frequent bathing, a practice in which, even in
captivity, they seem, in common with many others of the tribe, to take
a particular pleasure. Like the rest of the Parrots they live entirely
on vegetable substances, and chiefly upon seeds; some of them, however,
are said to feed upon roots. Their usual nourishment, in a domesticated
state, is the same with that of the other Parrots, consisting generally
of nothing more than hemp-seed, from which they detach the outer covering
with much adroitness. They have also a great relish for sweetmeats and
pastry.
The present species is pure white throughout, with the exception of its
crest, the longer feathers of which are bright yellow; and of the under
surface of the wings and tail, which are straw-coloured, as are also
occasionally the cheeks. The beak is nearly black. It is a native of the
Moluccas, and is not unfrequently brought to Europe. It is remarkably
intelligent, and becomes attached to those who show it kindness.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE EMEU.
_DROMICEIUS NOVÆ HOLLANDIÆ._ VIEILL.
The New Holland Emeu, as well as the Ostrich and the Cassowary, to both
of which it is nearly related, is now generally regarded as belonging to
the Rasorial Order, the Gallinaæ of Linnæus, the feet of which are formed
for running and for scratching up the earth in search of the seeds which
constitute their usual subsistence. Some of the birds, however, which are
referred to it, and particularly those now under consideration, feed upon
fruits and roots. The whole of the Order are distinguished by a certain
degree of convexity on the upper surface of the bill, the base of which
is enveloped by a membrane, in which are situated the nostrils covered
by a cartilaginous scale; by the muscular plumpness of their bodies,
and especially of their legs; by the shortness of their wings, and the
diminution of strength in their pectoral muscles; and by the thickness
and strength of their anterior toes, generally three in number, united
at the base alone by a connecting membrane, and roughened beneath. These
characters conjoined sufficiently indicate that their proper place of
abode is the surface of the earth, on which they are enabled to run
with a greater or less degree of speed; and that the air, in which they
are incapable of elevating themselves to any considerable height, or
of propelling their flight with more than moderate swiftness, and into
which some of them cannot even raise themselves at all, is an uncongenial
element to which they can seldom resort. They furnish the principal and
most useful breeds of our domestic poultry, and stock our farm-yards with
their most valuable inhabitants.
The distinctive generic characters of the New Holland Emeu, which forms
part of the Ostrich family, and is, with the sole exception of the
Ostrich, the largest bird known to exist, consist in the flattening of
its bill from above downwards, instead of from side to side; in the
absence of the bony process which crests the head of the Cassowary, of
the wattles which depend from his neck, and of the long spurlike shafts
which arm his wings; and in the equal, or nearly equal, length of all
his claws. The Emeus, however, agree with the Cassowaries in the number
of their toes, three on each foot, all of them directed forwards and
extremely thick and short, the posterior toe, which is common to most of
the Order, being in them entirely wanting; in the excessive shortness
of their wings, which do not even, as is the case with the Ostriches,
assist them in running, much less in flight, of which, in common with
the latter, they are absolutely incapable; and in the structure of their
feathers, which are for the most part double, each tube being divided
near its origin into two shafts, the barbs of which are soft, downy, and
distinct from each other, and assume at a distance rather the appearance
of a silky covering of hair than that of the common plumage of birds.
The New Holland bird has the head and upper part of the neck thinly
covered with slender black feathers; the space around the ears alone
being left bare, and exhibiting, as well as the neck and throat, which
are but partially concealed by the scattered plumage with which they
are provided, the blue tinge of the skin. The general colour of the
plumage is grayish brown above, with a more plentiful intermixture of
the gray and a consequent lighter tinge beneath. The young are striped
longitudinally with brown and gray. Their bill is black, and their legs
are remarkably thick and of a dull brown. The great length of the latter
and of the neck, and the erect attitude and quiet demeanour of these
birds, which sometimes attain as much as seven feet in height, give them
altogether a noble and imposing appearance. They were formerly common
in the neighbourhood of Botany Bay, subsisting, like the rest of their
tribe, upon vegetable substances, chiefly fruits. They are extremely
wild, and run with great swiftness when pursued, outstripping it is said
the fleetness of the greyhound. Like the Kanguroos, they are sometimes
hunted by the colonists as articles of food; and their flesh is stated to
have much of the flavour of beef. The quantity of provision supplied by
one of these birds is by no means inconsiderable.
The animals of the part of New Holland from which these birds are derived
appear in general to suffer little from their transportation to the
climate of England. The Emeus, like the Kanguroos, have become to a
certain extent naturalized in the Royal Park at Windsor, where they breed
without difficulty and with no extraordinary precautions. Here they have
assigned to them a sufficient space of ground to take ample exercise;
and this circumstance contributes not a little to the thriving condition
in which they are met with. They are perfectly harmless unless when
irritated or pursued, in which case they sometimes strike very severe
blows with their beaks, which are extremely hard. The pair in the Tower
were obtained from this establishment, where they were bred.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE CROWNED CRANE.
_ANTHROPOIDES PAVONINUS._ VIEILL.
The fourth Order of Birds, the Waders, are strikingly characterized by
the great length of their legs, the lower part of which is entirely bare
of feathers; a peculiarity which is of essential service by enabling them
to stand for a long time in the water without injury to their plumage,
watching for the fish and reptiles, of which the larger species, and the
worms and insects, of which the smaller among them, make their usual prey.
The beautiful birds represented above, which formed part of the Linnean
genus Ardea, since subdivided into numerous distinct groups, offer the
following generic characters. Their bill is conical, pointed, scarcely
longer than the head, and grooved along its upper surface; their head
is ornamented with a crest of long and slender filamentous feathers,
capable of being raised and depressed at pleasure; their wings are large
and powerful; their legs are covered with large scales; the outer and
middle toes are united at the base; and their claws are short and without
denticulations.
The Crowned Crane is remarkable for its light and elegant proportions,
and for its graceful and varied attitudes. Its forehead is covered by a
thick tuft of short velvety feathers of a soft and brilliant black; its
naked cheeks and temples are of a delicate rose colour; and the yellow
filaments of its crest terminate in blackish pencils. The long and
slender feathers which descend upon its neck, and the broader ones which
clothe the upper and under surface of its body are black with a slight
tinge of lead-colour; the primary wing-feathers are also black, the
secondary reddish-brown, and the wing-coverts white. The bill and legs
are black. It is a native of Western Africa; is extremely tame, and may
be readily domesticated. It frequently attains the height of four feet.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE PELICAN.
_PELECANUS ONOCROTALUS._ LINN.
The Pelican affords an excellent illustration of the fifth and last Order
of Birds, the Swimmers; the essential character of which consists in the
membranous union of the toes, which renders them what is usually termed
web-footed, and enables them to propel themselves upon the surface of the
water with greater or less rapidity in proportion to the greater or less
comparative extent of the membrane in which their toes are enveloped.
They are all consequently inhabitants of marshy situations, of the banks
of rivers and lakes, or of the seacoast; and most of them seek their
subsistence in their most congenial element, the water, notwithstanding
that by far the greater number of them are also endowed with very
considerable powers of flight.
Linnæus united under the common title of Pelicans, the Cormorants, the
Boobies, and several other birds, which differ from the typical species
of the genus by many important characters, the chief point of agreement
between them consisting in the form and extent of the membrane which
unites the toes. The Linnean group has subsequently been raised to the
rank of a family, and its component parts form several distinct genera,
that which comprehends the true Pelicans, the genus Onocrotalus of
Brisson, being characterized as follows. Their bill is of very great
length, straight, broad, flattened above, and terminated by a slight
hook; the lower mandible consists of two lateral branches, united at the
point, and having interposed between them a membranous pouch capable of
very great dilatation; their four toes are all enveloped to the very apex
in the common membrane; their legs are short, strong, and maintain the
body in a state of equilibrium, their lower part being entirely destitute
of feathers.
With the exception of the quill-feathers of the wings, which are black,
the plumage of the Pelican in the Tower is throughout of an extremely
light and delicate flesh-colour, varied only by occasional darker tinges.
The head and upper part of the neck are clothed with a short down, except
on the temples, which are naked and flesh-coloured; the upper mandible is
of a dull yellow in the middle, with a reddish tinge towards the edges,
and a blood-red spot on its curved extremity; and the pouch is of a
bright straw-colour.
The Pelican is one of the largest water-birds, considerably exceeding
the size of the swan, and frequently measuring from five to six feet
between the extremity of the bill and that of the tail, and from ten to
twelve between the tips of the expanded wings. Its bill is nearly a foot
and a half in length, and from an inch and a half to two inches broad;
and its pouch is capable of containing, when stretched to its utmost
extent, two or three gallons of water. The quantity of fish which it
sometimes accumulates in the same serviceable repository is spoken of as
enormous. Notwithstanding their great bulk and apparent clumsiness, the
large extent of their wings, and the extreme lightness of their bones,
which are so thin as to be almost transparent, enable these birds to rise
to a lofty pitch in the air, to hover at a moderate elevation, or to skim
rapidly along the surface of the water with as much facility as they
dive into its depths in pursuit of their prey. They sometimes assemble
in large numbers, and in this case are said by Buffon to act in concert,
and to show no little skill in manœuvring with the view of securing a
plentiful quarry, forming themselves into a circular line, and gradually
narrowing the extent of the space enclosed, until they have driven the
fishes into so small a compass as to render them a certain prey; when
at a given signal they all at once plunge into the water and seize upon
their terrified victims, filling their pouches with the spoil, and flying
to the land, there to devour it at their leisure. This fishery is carried
on both at sea and in fresh water.
They are found in nearly every part of the globe, but are of rare
occurrence in the north of Europe. The beautiful pair figured at the head
of this article are said to be from Hungary. The female is now sitting
upon three eggs, and has built herself a very perfect nest for the
purpose. Should these be brought to maturity, as there is every reason
to expect, they will probably be the first that were ever hatched in
England. She never quits her charge; but is fed by the male, who crams
his pouch with double his usual allowance, and then proceeds to shovel
her fair share into his partner’s throat. It is in this manner also
that the young are fed, the old bird pressing his full pouch against
his chest, and contriving thus to disgorge a portion of its contents;
an action which has no doubt given rise to the fabulous notion of the
Pelican’s feeding its young with its own blood. In fact, the appearance
of the bird when in this attitude, with the bloody spot on the end of
its bill closely pressed against the delicate plumage of its breast,
may readily account for the prevalence of such an idea in the minds of
superficial observers. The first traces of this fable are to be found
in the writings of some of the early fathers of the church, and it was
eagerly adopted by the heralds of later days, whose unbounded credulity
was ever on the watch for the marvellous, in natural history more
especially.
Our birds are commonly allowed three dozen of small live plaice each per
day.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE ALLIGATOR.
_CROCODILUS LUCIUS._ CUV.
The enormous Reptile from which this genus derives its name belongs to
the same subdivision of that class as the agile Lizard and the many-hued
Chamæleon, with which it was comprehended by Linnæus under the single
generic title of Lacerta. This group has subsequently been elevated to
the rank of an order, consisting of numerous genera, among which the
Crocodiles are distinguished by the following characters. Their toes are
five in number on the anterior feet, and four on the posterior; their
sharp and conical teeth are arranged in a single series in each jaw;
their tongue is flat, fleshy, and closely attached almost to its very
edge; and their bodies are clothed with large, thick, square scales, the
upper of which are surmounted by a strong keel, those of the tail forming
superiorly a dentated crest, double at its origin.
The Alligators constitute a natural subdivision of the genus, in which
the snout is broad, blunt, and less produced than in the true Crocodiles;
the fourth tooth on each side of the lower jaw enters a hole in the
upper when the mouth is closed; and the toes are only half-webbed. They
appear to be exclusively natives of America. The present species is
distinguished by its broad and flat snout, with nearly parallel sides,
united in front by a curved line; by the peculiar arrangement of its
nuchal scales; and by the elevated internal margins of its orbits. Its
colour is dark brown above, and somewhat lighter beneath. It is one of
the most dreadful scourges of the countries which it inhabits, preying
upon all kinds of animals that come within its reach, and sometimes even
upon man himself. Our specimen was apparently very young, not measuring
more than three feet in length; but during two years that it was kept in
the Menagerie it was not observed to have at all increased in size. It
was fed once a week upon raw beef.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE INDIAN BOA.
_PYTHON TIGRIS._ DAUD.