PARRA, Lin. Sze. JACANA.
Bill as long as the head, straight, slender, compressed, somewhat inflated towards the tip, the depressed base di lated in front into a naked plate or elevated crest ; mandi bles unequal; nostrils lateral, placed near the middle of the bill, oval, open, and pervious ; legs very long, slender ; nudity of the tibia very long ; toes likewise very long, slender, and entirely divided ; wings ample.
The birds of this family are natives of Asia, Africa, and South America. In most systems of ornithology their Brazili„n name has been retained. In their natural habits and dispositions, the shortened form of their body, the figure of their bill, and the smallness of their head, they resemble the gallinules ; but they have spines or spurs on their wings, and most of them have pieces of membrane or caruncles on their forehead ; their toes are completely separated, and their nails are extremely long, straight, and slender. Owing to this configuration of the nails, and the spurs on the wings, they are called Surgeons in the common language of the European settlers. They are clamorous and quarrelsome ; haunt the marshes of hot countries ; walk on the broad and floating leaves of plants on the surface of the water with great nimbleness ; do not conceal themselves during the clay, and fly more fre quently and more vigorously than the gallinules, and in a straight and horizontal line They are monogamous, nestle on the ground among the aquatic herbage, and lay four or five eggs. The young, as soon as hatched, follow their parents P. Chi/ensis, Lath. Chia Jacana, or Thegel. Claws moderate, legs brown, hind head sub-crested. Size of a jay. Native of Chili, where it affects the plain country, feeding on insects and worms, and laying never more than four eggs, of a tawny hue, clotted with black, and a little larger than those of the partridge. The male and female are usually found together, and they fight boldly all who attack them. When they perceive a person searching for their nest, they at first conceal themselves in the grass, without manifesting the least uneasiness; but the moment that they see him approach the spot, they dart out on him with great fierceness. They are silent during the day, and never call in the night time, unless they hear some one passing On this account they are employed by the Araques, in war time, as sentinels, to discover during the night those who attempt to surprise them.
P. Jacana, Lath. Chrsnut Jacana. Hind claws very long, legs greenish, bill of a deep yellow. The front membrane consists of three divisions, and two filaments depend from the sides The throat, neck, and under parts are black, tinted with purple ; while the back, upper wing coverts, and scapulars, are of a rich chesnut hue. Size of the water-hen, and nearly ten inches long. It is a native of Brazil, Cayenne, and St. Domingo, and is ex tremely shy, frequenting swamps, marshes, and the bor ders of pools and rivulets, and generally appearing in pairs. Among its different cries, is that of recall, when the individuals have straggled from one another, and ano ther when the bird is sprung, which is a shrill yelping sound, and heard at a distance.
P. chavaria, Az. Faithful Jacana, or Chaza. Toes long, legs tawny, hind head crested, bill dirty white ; upper mandible like that of the dunghill cock ; a red membrane on both sides of the base of the bill, extending to the temples, in the middle of which are the eyes. The irides are brown ; the hind head is furnished with about twelve blackish feathers, three inches long, forming a pendent crest. The rest of the neck is covered with thick: black down; the body is brown; the wings and tail are blackish ; the wing spurs are two or three, and half an inch long. The belly is light black ; the thighs are half bare, and the toes so long as to entangle one another in walking. About the size of a cock, and stands a foot and a half from the ground. Inhabits the rivers and inun dated places near Carthagena, feeds on herbs, has a clear and loud voice, a slow gait, and easy flight. The natives keep one of these birds tame, to wander with the poultry, and defend them against birds of prey, which it does by means of its spurs. It is said never to desert the charge committed to its care, and to bring them regularly home in the evening. it will readily suffer itself to be handled by grown up persons, but not by children.