 The solitaire is a large bird , which weighs about forty or fifty pounds . They have a very big head , with a sort of frontlet , as if of black velvet . Their feathers are neither feathers nor fur ; they are of light grey colour , with a little black on their backs . Strutting proudly about , either alone or in pairs , they preen their plumage or fur with their beak , and keep themselves very clean . They have their toes furnished with hard scales , and run with quickness , mostly among the rocks , where a man , however agile , can hardly catch them . They have a very short beak , of about an inch in length , which is sharp . They , nevertheless , do not attempt to hurt anyone , except when they find someone before them , and , when hardly pressed , try to bite him . They have a small stump of a wing , which has a sort of bullet at its extremity , and serves as a defence . 
