Cassell's book of birds; vol. 3Brehm, Alfred Edmund
Science
Cassell's book of birds; vol. 3
Brehm, Alfred Edmund
Birds
Azara tells us that the voice of the Capueira consists of two notes;
but on this point he is incorrect, as it comprises three or four notes,
which are frequently and very quickly repeated. Morning and evening the
Capueiras perch on a branch in a line, very near to each other, and at
this time the male birds frequently give utterance to their cry, which
Azara states to resemble the word "uru," but it appeared to me very
different. The nest found by me in the woods near the fine lake called
Lagoa d'Arara (Macaw Lake) was placed on the ground, and contained from
ten to fifteen pure white eggs, which coincides with Sonnini's account;
while Azara's assertion that they are of a violet-blue is doubtless a
mistake, which may probably have arisen, as M. Temminck suggests, from
his having mistaken the eggs of a Tinamou for those of a Capueira. Some
travellers have asserted that they have found the nests of this bird on
trees, and that they were placed in such situations in order that they
might be secure from the attacks of snakes and other enemies; but this is
also a mistake, for were such a precaution necessary, it would be adopted
by all the birds in the country, whereas numerous species, especially
the Tinamous, constantly breed on the ground. The sport afforded by the
Capueira very closely resembles that afforded by the Hazel Grouse. When
a covey was disturbed by the pointers they flew to the trees, the motion
of their wings causing the same rustling sound as those of the Partridge.
Occasionally they might be killed very easily; at other times it was very
difficult to sight them among the dense foliage of the woods. Their flesh,
which is very palatable, forms an excellent article for the table.
THE VIRGINIAN OR AMERICAN PARTRIDGE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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