CiiAi'. 1. BIRDS OF THE SUBURBS. 15 



ordinary notes emitted from their places of concealment 

 in the dense thickets ; and also tanagers, and other small 

 birds, inhabited the neighbourhood. None of these had 

 a pleasing song, except a little bro\vn wren (Troglodytes 

 furvus), whose voice and melody resemble those of our 

 English robin. It is often seen hopping and climbing 

 about the walls and roofs of houses and on trees in their 

 vicinity. Its song is more frequently heard in the rainy 

 season, when the Monguba trees shed their leaves. At 

 those times the Estrada das Mongubeiras has an 

 appearance quite unusual in a tropical country. The tree 

 is one of the few in the Amazons region which sheds all 

 its foliage before any of the new leaf-buds expand. The 

 naked branches, the soddened ground matted with dead 

 leaves, the grey mist veiling the surrounding vegetation, 

 and the cool atmosphere soon after sunrise, all combine 

 to remind one of autumnal mornings in England. 

 Whilst loitering about at such times, in a half-oblivious 

 mood, thinking of home, the song of this bird would 

 create for the moment a perfect illusion. Numbers 

 of tanagers frequented the fruit and other trees in our 

 garden. The two principal kinds which attracted our 

 attention were the Rhamphocoelus Jacapa and the 

 Tanagra Episcopus. The females of both are dull in 

 colour. The male of Jacapa has a - beautiful velvety 

 purple and black plumage, the beak being partly white. 

 The same sex in Episcopus is of a pale blue colour, with 

 white spots on the wings. In their habits they both 

 resemble the common house-sparrow of Europe, which 

 does not exist in South America, its place being in some 

 measure filled by these familiar tanagers. They are 



