104 The Birds of British Guiana. 



and at othei times a bark or "woof." They build their nests 

 in holes of trees, or make no nests at all, simply laying their 

 eggs 'on the decayed wood. The eggs are glossy white and 

 spheroid in shape; the young are covered with down. 



Hawk-Owls are diurnal and have lost to some degree 

 their owl-like peculiarities, the facial disc, and prominent eyes ; 

 and their flufty feathers. The Hawk-Owl of the Colony, Cic- 

 caba hiilula, is noticeable as having hawk-like plumage. 



Burrowing Owls, found in both North and South Am- 

 erica, are also mainly diurnal in habits. They live in warrens, 

 either made by themselves or, as it were, rented from otiier 

 animals with whom they live in perfect agreement. In North 

 America they may be seen living in harmony with prairie- 

 dogs, rats, squirrels, or badgers; in this colony, with armid- 

 illos, large 'lizards, and even rattle-snakes. They seem to 

 have established a mutual truce. They feed on small mam- 

 mals, birds, reptiles, and insects. They have almost lost their 

 frill or rufl'. 



There are twenty genera and more than three hundred 

 species. 



Tke Oil Bird. — Intermediate between Owls and Night- 

 jars is placed the Guacharo or Oil-Bird, now said to breed 

 in this colony. About the size of a crow and with a similar 

 beak, it has stiff bristles in each side of the gape, its plumage 

 being chocolate and grey, barred with dark brown or black 

 and spotted with white. The legs are feeble, but the wings 

 are large. It inhabits dark caverns, congregating in large 

 numbers, and only issuing forth at night to feed on oil nuts 

 and fruit. It builds its nest of clay, wherein are deposited 

 about four white eggs, often very dirty. The young are so 

 fat that the Indians take them for the purpose of extracting 

 their oil, which they use for lamps, etc. In this way thou- 

 sands are slaughtered. In some places the young are esteemed 

 as, a delicacy, though their odour is said to be that of cock- 

 roaches. Only one species of this bird is known. I'heir 

 cry is a loud, croaking, rasping utterance. 



Niglit-Jars or Goat-suckers are partly owl-like in struc- 

 ture and partly like swifts, having affinities to both. Needless 

 to say, their second name is founded in a fiction. Like Owls, 



