in ornithology, a genus belonging to the order of grallae. The character of this genus, according to Latham, is, the bill bends down at the point, with a horn, or with a tuft of feathers erect near the base of it; the nostrils are oval; the toes are divided almost to their origin, with a small membrane between the bottoms of each.

There are two species of it; the first of which is the palamedea cornuta, or horned screamer. It is about the size of a turkey; in length about three feet four inches. The bill is two inches and a quarter long, and black; the upper mandible is a little gibbous at the base, the under shuts beneath it, as in the gallinaceous tribe; the nostrils are oval and pervious, and placed near the middle of the bill. From the crown of the head springs a slender horn of more than three inches in length, and pointed at the end; the irides are the colour of gold; the plumage on the head, neck, and upper part of the body, is black, margined with grey on the first, and downy; some of the feathers round the neck are likewise edged with the same; the under parts of the wings are pale rufous, appearing on the shoulders and edges of them when closed; at the bend of the wing are two strong, sharp, horny, yellow spurs, one above another, the uppermost an inch and a half in length; the belly, thighs, and vent are white; the tail is eight inches and a half long, and black; the legs are stout and bulky; the fore claws are moderately bent; the hind one is nearly straight, not unlike that of a lark, and is about an inch long.—The female, we are told, is very like the male.

It is remarked, that they are always met with in pairs; and if one dies, the other mourns to death for the loss. They frequent places near the water; make Palamedes, a large nest of mud, in the shape of an oven, upon the ground (a); and lay two eggs, the size of those of a goose. The young are brought up in the nest till able to shift for themselves. They have but one nest in a year, which is in January or February, except the first eggs are taken away, when they make a second in April or May. The young birds are frequently eaten by the natives, though the colour of the flesh is very dark; that of the old ones is tough and ill tasted. By some authors this species is said to feed on crabs and birds, such as pigeons, poultry, and even to attack sheep and goats; but this is denied by others, who say that its principal food is reptiles. In the stomach of one which M. Bajon dissected, there were only found herbs and seeds of plants; however, he adds, that the bird has no gizzard. The cornuta is a rare species. It is found in certain districts in Cayenne, Guiana, Surinam, and other parts of South America, chiefly in the marshes and wet savannas, and for the most part near the sea. These should seem to be the birds mentioned by Ulloa (b), which are called by the inhabitants of Quito dispertadores, or "awakers," from their giving notice to others of the approach of danger; as on hearing the least noise, or seeing any one, though at a great distance, they rise from the ground, and make a loud chattering like a magpie, continuing the noise, and hovering over the object which caused the alarm, whereby the rest of the birds, taking the hint, are able in time to escape the impending danger. This screaming noise, which some authors relate as being exceedingly loud and terrible (c), has occasioned Mr Pennant to give the genus the name annexed to it. In Dr Hunter's museum there is a fine specimen of this bird, brought from Cayenne.

The second species of palamedea is the cristata, or crested screamer. This bird is about the size of an heron: the bill is short, bent like that of a bird of prey, and of a yellowish brown: the irides are gold-coloured; on the forehead, just above the bill, is a tuft of black feathers, variegated with ash-colour: the head, neck, and body, are grey, mixed with rufous and brown, most inclining to the last on the wings and tail: the wings are not furnished with spurs: the legs pretty long, of a dull yellow: claws brown; the hind toe placed high up, so as not to touch the ground in walking.

This bird inhabits Brazil. Linnaeus makes it to belong to the screamer genus, perhaps from its cry; for it is said to be heard at a great distance, and is not unlike that of a hen turkey. None of our later writers seem to have seen it, all of them relying on Maregrave both for description and figure. It is said to feed on the same food as the heron tribe: the flesh is good, and the bird by some kept tame.