480 TROPICAL WILD LIFE IN BRITISH GUIANA 



nical name is Thrijothorus cor ay a. The common wren 

 haunts the tangles upon the savannahs, as well as the big 

 forest. It is a homely bird. The quadrille bird, perhaps the 

 finest songster in the world, may be heard in Uruata Forest. 

 My first meeting with this bird was in the Upper Massa- 

 runi. Its voice-production is a perfect art; I know of no 

 bird with a sweeter note, not even the nightingale, nor the 

 black-cap of Europe. When one has heard this bird, the 

 other two wrens mentioned, the local tlirush, the troupial, 

 and the kadouri — to mention some only of our sweet song- 

 sters — one no longer believes the traveler's yarn that the 

 tropical countries have birds of bright plumage but no 

 birds of song. 



I do not class the bunyahs as songsters ; but I must not 

 forget to mention that colonies of them may be found upon 

 the river banks, their nests being suspended froni trees over- 

 hanging the water. 



This haphazard catalogue will afford some idea of the 

 birds to be found in the disti'ict. Travellers may walk miles 

 over the savannahs and through tlie forests and report that 

 few are the birds to be seen and heai'd — noisy parrots, ma- 

 caws and kiskadees, vultures, doves and pigeons. If they 

 walh they will see little more. Those wlio desire to see and 

 to hear, nmst learn to stand or to sit still. Half an hour's 

 patience-exercise will be amply repaid : it is astonishing how 

 many forms of wild life reveal themselves to the silent 

 watcher. They seem to spring to life as by the magic of a 

 fairy's wand. Creatures which are preyed upon learn that 

 their safety consists in sitting still, when danger threatens. 

 This instinct, exercised in the very face of an enemy, causes 

 that inaction which some would attribute to hypnotism. Any 

 boxer knows that he must watch his opponent's eyes, so as 

 to be able to tell when and where his next blow will fall. 

 There is no need for fancy theories with regard to birds and 

 beasts and reptiles. 



