Vol. XX 

 •903 J 



1 C1.KKK, Habits 0/ Certain Venezuelan Birds. 2QI 



Of all the feathered tribe on the island, the Lance-tailed 

 Manakin (Cheiroxiphia lanceolata Wagl.) seemed^ to me the most 

 pleasing and generally attractive. Occurring in the mountain 

 forest, its clear whistle is a distinctive feature of this part of the 

 country. The natives call it "tintoro" which is a very good 

 rendering of its note ; the first syllable being moderately high, the 

 next medium, with a rising inflection, the last low. Owing to the 

 thick undergrowth and miserable footing in the deep woods on 

 Margarita, I had some trouble at first to secure specimens, as 

 everything naturally fled at my painfully noisy approach, until I 

 tried imitating their song, which was very successful. I found 

 two nests in the forest, both about five feet from the ground, one 

 built after the manner of an orchard oriole, and the other a loose 

 structure like that of a rose-breasted grosbeak. Both contained 

 four eggs, resembling those of a scarlet tanager, but somewhat 

 lighter in color. As no birds could be found in their vicinity, I 

 did not disturb them ; but from Capt. Robinson's description of a 

 nest of this species which he found at La Guaira, I judged that 

 one of these, if not both, belonged to this bird. 



A surprise is in store for the novice when he first meets with 

 the Barred Ant-shrike {T/iamnophilus doliatus Linn.). One day, 

 shortly after my arrival, while wandering about in the deep woods, 

 I heard a cawing in the distance. Hoping to add some jay or 

 other corvine bird to the fauna of the island, I carefully crept to 

 the spot whence the sound proceeded, only to find that a solitary 

 ant-shrike had been making all the disturbance. These birds sit 

 very erect, resembling, with their long crests, our cedar waxwing. 



The Creeper {Dendroplex longirostris Richm.), colored after the 

 fashion of the Common Dipper {Cinclus cinclus Linn.) is a very 

 different bird in life from what one supposes from an examination 

 of specimens in collections. As a rule they are mounted in 

 museums on T perches, which gives them, except for their beaks, 

 the general appearance of some peculiar thrush. But in reality, 

 they never, as far as my experience goes, assume that position, act- 

 ing more nearly like large nuthatches than anything else. Their 

 cry is a rattle like that of the belted kingfisher, but harsher and 

 more grating. They nest in the post-cactus. 



One of the most brilliant of the common birds was the large 



