A NATURALIST IN BRAZIL 



attuned. When I went to Ceylon I was struck by the metalhc tone 

 of the birds' voices. In a great Indian Silk-cotton tree, which had 

 shed its leaves, but had replaced them by a glory of strawberry-red 

 blossoms, large as tulips, an Indian starling sat, its strophes pealing 

 through the glittering sunny landscape like the tones of a trumpet, 

 incomparable in their richness and variety. This was the Indian 

 counterpart of our blackbird in the blossoming cherry-tree ! 



The new arrival in Brazil is promptly greeted by the Bemtevi, a 

 bird about the size of our shrike, with brown back and yellow 

 breast, and one black and one white stripe on either side of the head, 

 which also bears a yellow crest. The Bemtevi, and a smaller relative, 

 which resembles it, and also the Siriri, belong to the Tyrant family. 

 These powerful, vigorous birds do really rule the neighbourhood, 

 as their name implies. They sit on a tall stump, or the topmost 

 branch of a tree, the yellow breast visible at a great distance, catching 

 insects on their easy, dashing flight, and pursuing every hawk or 

 Anum with an impudent outcry. Nothing escapes them, and the 

 call, which to a Brazilian ear is Bemtevi, "I see you plainly," fits 

 the bird as do few birds' names. Beside Bemtevi the bird has another 

 call, piae, and in both calls, which he sometimes combines in a 

 cheery song, the i is long-drawn, with a nasal quality. This nasal 

 accent is so genuinely Brazilian that in conversing with Brazilians 

 I was constantly reminded of the Bemtevi, and often wondered 

 whether the Bemtevi acquired its accent from the Brazilians, or they 

 theirs from the characteristic Brazilian bird. At all events, the 

 Portuguese language, as spoken in Brazil, is rather metallic in tone, 

 and seems to fit the environment. It is very musical; and often, 

 especially on the lips of young girls, it reminded me of the clarionet. 



The metallic quality of the voices of the Brazilian fauna is exem- 

 plified by the fact that the Brazilians have given the name of 

 Ferreiro, "the smith," to no less than three different creatures. 

 First, to a snow-white bird the size of a thrush, whose skin-covered 

 throat has a verdigris-green, metallic lustre, and which lives in the 

 forests of the southern half of Brazil ; while in the north-west it is 

 represented by a relative, not unlike it, but having brown wings 

 and black hair-like feathers on the throat. When these birds are 

 vocal it sounds as though someone were hammering iron rails with 

 all his might : peng, peng, peng, peng, peng ; beginning with a few slow 

 strokes, and rapidly increasing the tempo. It speaks well for the 

 nervous systems of the Brazilians that they are fond of keeping 

 the Ferreiro or Araponga as a cage bird, and hanging it outside 

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