Page:Cassell's book of birds (IA cassellsbookofbi04breh).pdf/116

 THE ANIUMA, OR HORNED SCREAMER.

The, or (Palamedea cornuta), is characterised by a horn upon the brow, its thickly-plumaged bridles, and the short feathers on its head and neck. The horn of this species, which is about five or six inches long, either straight and upright or slightly curved, is situated near the beak, and is about a line and a half in diameter at its base. The upper wing-spur is about two inches long, pointed and triangular, and curves gently upwards; and the lower one strong, almost straight, and about four lines long. The velvety feathers on the crown are whitish grey tipped with black; those of the cheeks, throat, neck, back, breast, wings, and tail are blackish brown; those on the shoulder and large wing-covers of a greenish metallic shade; and the small cover-feathers yellowish at their roots. The feathers on the lower throat and upper breast are silver-grey, broadly edged with black, and those of the belly and rump pure white, the horn whitish grey, and the foot slate-colour. This bird is thirty inches long and seventy-eight broad; the wing measures twenty-one, and the tail eleven inches.

(Psophia crepitans).

The Aniuma is a native of Brazil, where it frequents the vast swamps and savannahs, and preys upon the swarms of small animals with which they teem. In these localities, an incessant discord of jarring sounds arises from the voices of the multifarious inhabitants, but high and shrill above them all