The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-10-09

H. - ~ pottont oxempli6 catton
koro. stnoo II tie course Of embryonic
! loot appears in state
mofpholoRically finished, indicating its
purpose By the we'll developed toes.
cac6 terminated bya long, well-deyel-
oped claw. Then the developmental
activities were modified, and. instead Of
. foot, . wing is the final post-natal re-
suit The natives call the bird cigana
(gypsy). It has been long known to
science under the name opisthocoma
cristata.
THE SOLE SURVIVOR or IT'S GENUS.
An adult specimen, in size and gen.
eral appearance, when inactive. re-
minds one Of pheasant, but it bears,
really, no near relation to the pleas
ant; in fact, it has no near relatives
living, being the sole survivor of its
genus, its family, its order, an order Of
which geologists have found numerous
representatives in fossil state.
Its geographical range is quite linn
tied, It being found only about the
estuary of the Amazon and mouths OF
its lower tributaries. 1t is gregarious.
/ rarely found fewer than q half-dozen
together. Its habitat is peculiar, and
is for the most part limited to a single
species Of plant. This plant-called by
the natives aninga-is tall, semi
aquatic aroid. It has large, heart
shaped leaves, calla-like flowers and
pineapple-like fruit. 1t varies in height
to twenty feet, averaging about eight.
Il grows in denses masses on the low,
nat, muddy margins of the islands,
and bordering the water-courses fire.
quently stands many yards out in the
muddy shadows.
FURTHER PECULIARITIEs.
never saw it alight upon the ground.
and though the amiga leaf IS q frail
and yielding perch the bird seems to
prefer it to all others. They build nests
Of twigs and other coarse vegetable
matter in the amiga tops, the low,
overhanging branches Of trees, or
matted vines. Only on rare occasions,
IS when one is tormented beyond en-
durance by its fellows, does the cigana
venture into the forest, and then
not SO far but few strokes of its wings
viii place its feet on the yielding,
swinging amiga leaf again, where i
rests its breastboone on the perch and
Kisses, awkwardly totterting with out
spread wings and tail, till the amiga
ceases swinging. The habit of steady
ing itself on its perch by squatting upon
is breastb0ne has caused athickening, q
piling up Of epidermal tissue in hard
callosity, which is anchylosed to the
bone SO firmly that in skinning it must
be broken of or separated with stout
cartilage knife. This seems to imply q
long association Of the cigana and
amiga. The bird is so much of the
time ON the amiga that even when al
rest on other perches it Is rarely seen
erect I have not seen it fly further
than across narrow stream, from one
aninga hedge to another. It is quarrel
some, and when its pugnacity Is man
Tested IT. pheasant-like appearance
vauishes nd It resembles no other bip1.
Il erects its sparsely -plumed crest. aid.
awkwardly Hopping its wings, while
trying to keep It's equilibrium ON the
unstable perch, il throws its neck into
oontcrtions, - though IL were choking,
= sancine h s 1udkcEou1ly aWkW&rd
manner it, fellow. which Is having
equal diGiculty IN retaining its equili.
bEium while retaliating from the swing.
ing leaf Of : neighboring amiga.
While tho birds are thus strangely
eesticulatinx, the noise Of their dap
pingWings Is accompanied with kissing,
9runting and shrieking.
Thoro are times Of general uprising,
When the mingled utterances from