150 Dr. Emil A. Goeldi— Ornithological 



forest of moderate height and transparent branches and 

 foliage — the'^siriubal" [Avicennia) forest, very characteristic 

 of the littoral landscape of Lower Amazonia and Guyana. 

 A large number of white and moving points in the wide 

 mud-zone which girdled the shore-forest — we had just 

 arrived at low-water-time,^ and had therefore to cruise in 

 front of the mouth of the river — were soon recognized as 

 formed by rows of small white Herons {Ardea candidissima) , 

 Entering at length into the river, our steamer stopped, after 

 somewhat difficult navigation, for an hour and a half at a 

 place called " Igarape da Ro9a,'" in sight of the first cascade, 

 which intercepts a free navigation of the upper course of 

 the Counany River. Waiting for boats during the greater 

 part of the day, we had sufficient time to get acquainted with 

 the general bird-life of the surrounding river-landscape. 



On the left side, upon one of the before-mentioned siriuba- 

 trees, we perceived the continuous going and coming of a 

 couple of the elegant and audacious Ictinia plumbea, and soon 

 discovered the nest in a fork of a tree, perhaps some 20 metres 

 above water-level. Though the tree was big, we cut it down, 

 and after an hour^s labour we had not only the nest, with a 

 young birdj but also one of the parents. The nest is a badly- 

 formed structure of single sticks. The young was still 

 entirely in the down, of white colour, and had a greyish- 

 brown iris, whereas the old one, as known, has a very 

 beautiful cherry-coloured iris. This chick was supposed to 

 be about a week old. It was the first time I ever met with 

 the nest of this fine bird of prey, and if, as it seems, Schom- 

 burgk's " vague informations" (' British Guiana/ iii. p. 735) 

 are the only authority upon the nesting of Ictinia, very few 

 ornithologists must have seen it. The eggs, I believe, remain 

 still unknown. 



Some time afterwards we observed a small Swallow several 

 times entering a hole in a tree-stump which stood in the 

 stream. I easily recognized it to be Tachycineta albiventris. 

 The hole had certainly been made by some small Woodpecker, 

 and was now occupied by the graceful Swallow, with his 

 glittering greenish back, for breeding purposes. I ha;d no 



