THE INTRODUCTION OF A NEW GAME-BIRD INTO ESSEX. 105
to save themselves by flight, although, when flushed, some of the
species can fly well with a peculiar whirring of the wings. Their
intelligence appears to be of a low order, and when suddenly
alarmed they seem stupified with fear. On such occasions, according
to the observations of Darwin,6 a man on horseback riding round
and round them, so as to gradually narrow the circle, may knock
over as many as he pleases ; but the usual way to capture them is
by means of a small lasso or running noose made of the pliant
shaft of a Rhea's feather, fastened to a long wand; and a boy on
horseback, thus provided, has been known to secure as many as forty
in one day.
The Tinamus are highly esteemed for eating, and on this account
have been much persecuted ; so much so, that, in some parts of
South America, species which were once common, have now to be
sought for at a considerable distance from their former haunts. The
eggs of the different species of Tinamu are very peculiar in colour ;
some being of a purplish lead colour, others dark green, like those
of the Emu; others again of a lighter pea green; the texture is
smooth and glossy, and when once seen can hardly be mistaken for
those of any other bird. Some interesting chemical researches in
regard to these peculiarly coloured eggs have been made by Mr.
Sorby (Proc. Zool. Soc, 1875, pp. 357, 361).
The particular species with which we are at present concerned is
the "Rufous Tinamu," Rhynchotus rufescens, found in Bolvia and
South Brazil to La Plata. The accompanying engraving from a
drawing made from life, and kindly lent by the proprietors of "The
Field," will give a better idea of its appearance than can be conveyed
by a mere description. The bird is common in the plains of Buenos
Ayres wherever long grass abounds, and is found southward to the
Colorado. South of this river it is very rare, and disappears before
the Rio Negro is reached. It finds no cover for concealment but
the giant grasses through which it pushes its way like a rail.
Mr. W. H. Hudson, writing of this bird from personal observation
of it in its native haunts (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1872, page 516), says:
"It is solitary in his habits, conceals itself in the grass very closely, and flies with
great reluctance. I doubt if there is anywhere a bird with such a sounding flight
as this ; and I can only compare the "whirr" of its wings to the rattling of a light
vehicle driven at great speed over a hard road. From the moment it rises until it again
alights, there is no cessation in the rapid vibration of the wings ; but, like a ball
6 "Naturalist's Voyage Round the World," pp. 45, 113.
H