CHAPTER FORTY FIVE.
THE PIQUE-BOEUFS.
Of course Hans, aided by the others, immediately set about skinning thewidow-birds, with an eye to their being preserved. Arend was hisprincipal assistant, for Arend was clever with his hands; and was,moreover, as good a taxidermist as Hans himself. It never troubledArend to know the genus or species of a bird; but give him the birditself, and he could strip off its skin and mount it without leaving atrace of a ruffled feather.
While thus engaged, a noise fell upon the ears of the young yagers thatcaused all of them to start--Hans and Arend dropping the skins of thewidow-birds, upon which they had been operating.
The noise which produced this startling effect, was neither more norless than the cry of a bird, and but a small bird at that. The notevery much resembled the well-known call of the mistle-thrush orscreech-cock, (_Turdus viscivorus_). It was no louder, and the birdthat uttered it was no bigger than this thrush; but for all that, thenote produced a somewhat terrifying effect upon the yager camp. All ofthe party, both yagers and attendants, knew the cry well. Even thebuck-dogs sprang to their feet, and howled as it reached their ears; andthe whole camp was suddenly in a commotion.
Now, my young reader, you will wonder why the cry of a bird, not biggerthan a blackbird, could create terror in the minds of such courageousboys as our yagers; and you will naturally desire to know what sort ofbird this was.
I have said the boys all knew it, the attendants and the dogs. Nay,more, the horses and oxen recognised that cry; and its effect on themwas not less wonderful; for the moment it was heard, the horses tossedup their heads, snorted as if in terror, and commenced _stampeding_ overthe ground. The oxen exhibited similar symptoms of affright. Yes,horses, oxen, dogs, Kaffir, Bushman, and yagers, were all affected bythe screech of that bird, as it pealed along the rocks, and echoedthrough the glen. All recognised in it the warning cry of the_Pique-Boeuf_!
An account of this singular bird will explain the cause of theconsternation which its note had thus suddenly produced.
The "Pique-Boeuf" is about the size of a starling, of a greyish colourover the body, with short wings, and tail somewhat of a darker hue. Itsfeet are formed for grasping, and its claws are hooked and compressed.The most remarkable part of the bird is its bill. This is of aquadrangular shape, the lower mandible much stronger than the upper one,and both swelling towards the tip, so as to resemble a forceps orpincers. The purpose of this formation will be seen, when we come tospeak of the habits of the bird.
These are, indeed, peculiar; and, by the laws of ornithology, stamp thePique-Boeufs as a distinct genus of birds.
A celebrated French ornithologist, and a true _field naturalist_ aswell--Le Vaillant--thus describes the habits of these birds:--
"The bill of the Pique-Boeuf is fashioned as a pair of solid pincers, tofacilitate the raising out of the hides of quadrupeds the larvae of thegadflies, which are there deposited and nourished. The species,therefore, anxiously seek out the herds of oxen, of buffaloes, ofantelopes--of all the quadrupeds, in short, upon which these gadfliesdeposit their eggs. It is while steadied, by a strong gripe of theclaws in the tough and hairy hide of these animals, that, with strongblows of the bill and powerful squeezes of the skin, at the place wherethe bird perceives an elevation, which indicates the presence of amaggot, he extracts it with effect. The animals, accustomed to thetreatment, bear with the birds complacently, and apparently perceive theservice which they render them, in freeing them from these trueparasites, which live at the expense of their proper substance."
Now, there are many species of birds, as well as the Pique-Boeufs, thatlead a very similar life, living principally upon the parasite insectsthat infest the bodies of the larger quadrupeds, both wild and tame. InAmerica, the "cow-bunting" (_Icterus pecoris_) is so termed from itshabit of feeding upon the parasite insects of cattle; and among otheranimals it is a constant attendant upon the immense herds of buffaloesthat roam over the great American prairies. Other species of icterusalso frequent the vast cattle-herds of the South American plains.
The red-billed weaver-bird (_Textor erythrorhynchus_) is equally thecompanion of the African buffalo; and any one who has visited anextensive sheep-pasture cannot fail to have observed the common starlingperched upon the woolly backs of the sheep. The white-necked crow(_Corvus albicollis_) is noted for similar practices, as well as severalother species of _Corvidae_ and _Sturnidae_. All of these kinds,however--the white-necked crow excepted--content themselves with onlytaking away the parasites, which are attached to the skins of theanimals, or such as live among the hair and wool--none of the aforesaidbirds having in their bills the necessary strength for extracting themaggots which are lodged beneath. Now, with the Pique-Boeufs, there isno difficulty about this. Their peculiar beaks enable them to penetratethe toughest hides of the large quadrupeds; and although they also feedupon the ticks and other parasites that rest upon the surface, theyprefer the larvae that lie beneath. Hence, these birds are entitled tobe regarded as distinct from any of the others; and naturalists haveformed them into a separate genus--the genus _Buphaga_, or"beef-eaters."
It is scarcely necessary to point out the absurdity of this name, whichseems to have been given from a misapprehension of the habits of thebirds. The Pique-Boeuf is no beef-eater, but a "beef-picker," if youwill, as the French phrase very properly expresses it. But M. Brisson,who gave the name, seems very much to have resembled his more celebratedcountryman--the great _closet naturalist_, Buffon--in ascribing suchhabit to birds and animals as suited his fancy.
_Buphaga_ is the name given, and so let it stand.
Only two species have been yet observed. One is the _Buphagaerythrorhyncha_, or red-billed beef-eater--so called from the colour ofits beak, which is a beautiful coral-red--while the more common speciesalready described has a yellow beak. The latter is the _BuphagaAfricana_. Both species are birds of Africa--the "coral bill" (_Beccorail_) being also a native of the island of Madagascar. The "coralbill" is smaller than the _Buphaga Africana_, and somewhat differentfrom it in colour. The tint of its plumage is more sombre. The upperparts, head and throat, are of an ash-brown, glazed, as it were, withbluish; and beneath, the bird is of a yellowish rust colour. Its bill,also, is smaller and less powerful than that of its congener.
The Pique-Boeufs are generally seen in company; but they never fly inlarge flocks. Six or eight of them may usually be observed together.They are very wild shy birds, and it is difficult to approach withinshooting distance of them.
The only chance of getting near enough is to approach behind the body ofan ox, or some other animal--using the latter as a stalking-horse, anddriving it gently towards those beasts on whose back the birds may beperched. The gunner, by then showing himself suddenly, may obtain ashot at them on the wing.
Such are the habits of the Pique-Boeufs. But all this does not explainwhy it was that the screech of one of these birds had thrown the camp ofthe young yagers into such a state of excitement or alarm. The reasonremains to be told. It was this:--
Of all the quadrupeds to which the Pique-Boeufs attach themselves, thereare none upon which they are such constant attendants as the rhinoceros.This animal is the victim of many parasitical insects--of ticks andlarvae. His huge body and corrugated skin, of such vast extent, offeran ample field for such creatures, and consequently afford a supply offood to the Pique-Boeuf, which is unfailing.
The rhinoceroses, therefore, of all the four species that inhabit SouthAfrica, are always attended by the beef-eaters, which, on this account,are known among hunters as "rhinoceros-birds." Go where the rhinoceroswill, the Pique-Boeufs follow him, perching upon his back, his head, orany other part of his body, and remaining there quite unconcernedly, asif they regarded that situation as their natural roosting-place andhome. The rhinoceros himself never dreams of molesting them. On thecontrary, he finds their presence extremely useful to him. Not only dothey give him ease, by destroying the insects that wou
ld otherwise annoyhim, but in another sense they do him an essential service. They warnhim of the approach of the hunter, or any other danger. The moment suchappears, the rhinoceros, who himself may have been asleep, is instantlyaroused by the harsh screeching of the birds, and put upon his guard.Should their voices fail to awake him, these cunning sentinels willflutter around his head, and peck into his ears until they succeed ingiving the alarm. With elephants and hippopotami they act in a similarmanner; so that one of the difficulties to be encountered by the hunterin pursuit of these animals, is the vigilance of the little wingedsentinel that thus keeps watch over their sleep!
It was this curious habit, then--well known to every creature in thecamp--that caused all hands to start up on hearing the screech of thePique-Boeuf. The presence of the bird announced the proximity of thedangerous "rhinoster."