The Adjutant bird owes his name to his very dignified walk, which is believed to be almost as important as that of a real adjutant on parade. He is nearly as tall, too, as a British soldier, helmet and all, and has an even better appetite, for he can swallow a fowl or rabbit, or even a small leg of mutton, at a single mouthful. The Adjutant lives in India, where he helps the jackal and the crow to eat up what no other bird or beast will touch. When he is about, it is best to keep the larder door locked.

The Adjutant