i;o6 THE PERCHING BIRDS 



purple, chiefly at the larger end. The bienteveo preys chiefly upon large insects 

 such as beetles, which it invariably beats against the perch before swallowing them; 

 but sometimes it carries off the callow young of other birds from their nests. It is 

 also fond of fishing in shallow pools, preying upon tadpoles and small fishes, while 

 occasionally it enters the slaughterhouse in search of pickings. It is a common 

 thing to see a bienteveo waiting on a rural butcher's cart in hopes of securing some 

 tidbit. In the fall of the year it feeds largely upon ripe grapes, figs, and other 

 fruit. The adult has the head black, with a large yellow crest and a white eye 

 stripe; the upper parts are brown; the wings and tail brown, edged with rufous, and 

 the lower parts sulphur yellow. 



The type of this group (Formidvora) possesses a short conical bill, 

 with the upper mandible hooked; while the wings are moderate, with 

 the fourth feather the longest. The tail is fairly long and rounded, and the feet 

 are furnished with long toes, adapted to progression over the earth, the claws being 

 short and narrow. All the ant birds are inhabitants of the forests of Brazil, a well- 

 known species being the fire eye (F. domicella), which frequents dense portions of 

 the primeval scrub, creeping about the bushes, and rarely venturing into the open. 

 It possesses a pleasing warbling note, and feeds upon a variety of insects. Its 

 fondness for ants induces it to lay aside its usually cautious and retiring habits, and 

 at times many individuals assemble together to devour ants in woodpecker fashion. 

 The adult male is nearly all black, and his plumage is set off to great advantage by 

 his white wing coverts and the fiery red irides of the eye, from which this species 

 takes its name. 



THE CHATTERERS 

 Family COTINGIDSE 



Some of the most gorgeous birds of South America are to be found in this 

 family, which is remarkable for the variations of plumage exhibited by certain of 

 its representatives. The chatterers have usually an arched bill, broad at the gape, 

 and adapted to a frugivorous diet; the wings being generally of moderate length, 

 although sometimes reaching almost to the extremity of the tail. The metatarsus 

 is stout and scutellated in front. The greater number of the chatterers are in- 

 habitants of the vast equatorial region of the Amazon, frequenting the interior of 

 the forests, and leading an arboreal life; one of the loveliest being the Pompadour 

 chatterer, so named after the famous Frenchwoman, to whom this and other 

 specimens of birds were being sent, when the ship that bore them from Cayenne 

 fell a prize to a British cruiser. 



The singular bird for which the genus Cephalopterus was estab- 



B}rd lished has a stout, robust bill, with a strongly-arched upper mandible, 



the nostrils being open and longitudinal in shape, while the wings are 



long, and the tail is rounded. The umbrella bird is, however, best distinguished 



by the possession of a curious crest, composed of straight, elevated feathers, the 



