The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1867-03-08

'on fishes and running upon the sur.
tace of the water densely covered
with vegetation Imagine ponds
with thousands and thousands of
the Victoria Regid in bloom, its inn
mense leaves spreading out as the
leaves OF our watcrililies, and these
ponds so covered with birds, that
when they are disturbed and arise,
they literally obscure the light. ~.
The Jacana is characteristic of these
regions, anil is of the family peculiar
to our prairies, rs the prairie hen
and grouse and the like; they
are intermediate between the
gallinaceous birds turkeys, DC. } and
the wadcr. OF climbing birds there
are immense numbers, some families
particularly characteristic of South
America, Parrots, macaws and par.
ruquets are wonderfully prolific and
are seen in fioclls as large and dense
as those of geese with us at the time
of their emigration. Their noise is
-intolerable, and when there nj ilocks
in the pcighborhood "it is impossible
to go on tallSiag with your nciahbor,
so loud ace they, aud so close do they
come without being frightcned."-
They are mostly the genera which
have green feathers, the black, white
and gray types are found in OTHER
parts ofthe world. With the parrots
md belonging to the same family,
we find the humminhird, which is ex.
elusively American, no representa-.
tive being found In any other pait Of
the world. The 7Oncaa is remarka.
bile for the extraordinary size of its
bill which is about as long aud ap-
pareutly as heavy as the body, but on
examination is found so filled with
cells as in reality TO be quite light -
These birds nIe remarkable for hay
ing definite patches or bands of col
or, "a band of yellow put on hy the
side of band of red or blue; a band
of white on the sides of the neck, the
rest of tie body being black; or n
white breast, with avery marked and
well described ring OF brilliant tinge,
while the rest is OF purplish color"
Among the birds Of prey is the
black vulture, somewhat similar to
that found in the Southern States;
and another species nearly as large
rs the eagle, known as the "ling OF
vultures," this bird is remarkable for
the beauty OF its colors, the feathers
of its head being OF elegant white,
yellow and red, with n light halo of
golden fringe over their tips. In the
higher mountainous regions, the con-
dor is found, the largest bird of prey
of any known on tie earth la the
Hat countries south OF the valley Of
the Amazon, and in the dry regions
west of Buenos Ayrcs, are ostrichcs
which resemble the African species
in every respect, except the size, be-
ing much smaller. ... '"- Hr. ....
Among the quadrupedg, those pc
culiar to South America are the Lila
ma, vigona, aud alpaca whicll belong
to the camel and dfomefary family.
These are mountain animals, and diff
fer from their types in the old world
which inhabit the desert plain. The
tapir is of the same family as the ele-
phant and rhinoccros. South Amer
lea has family almost Of itself, of
low quadrupeds, known to naturalists
as edaRtata, for their lack of denti
ton, having few or no teeth; these
are found in large numbers, and are
represented by the ant eaters, tata.
hous and armadillo, They are the
successors OF the huge sloths, arma.
dillos and the like found in a fossil
state, and which existed Of such co.
lossal size in the geological age i'm
mcdiately proceeding our own. '"
OF the animals OF prey, the most
considerable are the ounce and the
panther, but inferior in size and fe-
rOciiy to those of Asia and Africa
Leader. .... f..t.