BIRD LIFE OF BARTICA 117 



continually. He is noted for his hostility to hawks and other 

 large birds, which he attacks incessantly when on the wing. 

 The warracabra or trumpeter bird and the sakkasakkali, a 

 kingfisher, quarreled over the spoil and knocked each other 

 into the ashes. The former arose with patches of grey, while 

 the other became grey all over. The Akawai Indians add 

 to this that the trumpeter flew down into an ant's nest and 

 before he could escape, his legs, which formerly had been 

 fat and plump, were picked quite clean. On the same occa- 

 sion the marudi or guan, thinking some glowing hot embers 

 to be an insect, swallowed them and so got his fiery throat. 

 The owl discovered among the spoil a package done up with 

 care, which he found to contain darkness only; since which 

 he has never been able to endure the light of day. 



Another story relates in a most convincing manner the 

 method by which birds got their present plumage. Once 

 upon a time there was a water serpent, a huge creature with 

 a most brilliant skin of red, green, black and wliite in extra- 

 ordinary patterns. He became such a terror to all other 

 living creatures that the men and birds, who were friends 

 in those days, combined forces to destroy him, and the crea- 

 ture's skin was promised to the first one ^vho made him 

 come out of the pool. But all were afraid to tackle him 

 except the snakebird, who darting down into the water, 

 drove an arrow through his neck — an arrow fastened by a 

 string to a tree on the bank, by means of which he was 

 finally drawn to land, where he was skinned. Snakebird 

 claimed the skin, and the warriors, never thinking he would 

 be able to carry it away, told him he could have it. He 

 nodded to the other birds, wlio, each seizing part of the 

 edge, managed to lift it off the ground and bear it to a 

 secluded spot, where Snakebird told them they coidd divide 

 it among themselves, each to take the part that he had just 

 helped to carry. Each bird carried liis load home on his 

 back, and ever since has been marked by hues which the sec- 

 tion of serpent's skin that he carried, happened to bear — 



