Nyctibius jamaicensis and Sclcrurus umbretta. 301 



one. Both species are more or less rufous, but easily distin- 

 guishable^ and any confusion about their determination is 

 impossible. 



During certain months the smaller N. jamaicensis, called 

 " Urutao " by the natives, like all the species of the group, 

 is heard at Colonia Alpina almost every night. Its '' pu- 

 hu-hii/' slowly pronounced, but with much energy, is a 

 constant nocturnal sound, quite enough to frighten a timid 

 wanderer in the solitary forest-patches*. On the other 

 hand, I was often astonished at the resemblance of the voice 

 of the large greyish iV, grandis to the mewing of a cat. In 

 November 1895, during moonlight nights, I had occasion 

 to hear it at Amapa regularly. The bird called continuously 

 in the adjacent "sirinbaP' (the inundated and impassable 

 avicennia-forests), which borders in a most characteristic 

 manner the lower course of the coast-rivers of Guiana. At 

 Colonia Alpina (Rio de Janeiro) we got so well acquainted 

 -with N. jamaicensis that the cry of the bird in the neigh- 

 bourhood on moonlight nights was the regular signal for us 

 to take up our guns and go forth on our nocturnal hunting- 

 trips. The bird is easily deceived by imitating its voice f- 

 Supposing the call to be that of a rival, it leaves some 

 inaccessible and invisible standpoint in the interior of the 

 forest and is drawn nearer to a post on some isolated dry 

 gigantic tree, which, being in better light, offers more 

 chance of a successful shot. Even here, however, its 

 wonderful protective colour, its singular manner of perching 

 in the direction of the axis of the branch and appearing like 

 a mere protuberance of it, while it retains a motionless 

 position for a quarter of an hour or more, render it very- 

 difficult to discern, except to very practised eyes. My cousin, 



* It is not to bo wondered at that the " Uriitaos " are much connected 

 ■with Brazilian folklore, as shown by Jos(5 Verissimo in his ' Scenas da 

 Viva Amazonica,' Lisbon, 1887, and by myself in my little work ' Aves do 

 Brazil,' pp. 198, 199. 



t On the contrary, the smaller Goatsuckers (such as Nydidromiis, 

 Antrostomus, Chordeiles, &c.) are far less easily deceived and seem to 

 distinguish the imitation much better. 



z 2 



