282 THE LOWER AMAZONS. Chap. VII. 



plants on the surface of the pool, and m the bushes 

 on its margin were great numbers of a kind of canary 

 (Sycalis brasiliensis) of a greenish-yellow colour, which 

 has a short and not very melodious song. We had 

 advanced but a few steps when we startled a pair of 

 the Jaburu-moleque (Mycteria Americana), a powerful 

 bird of the stork family, four and a half feet in height, 

 which flew up and alarmed the rest, so that I got only 

 one bird out of the tumultuous flocks which passed 

 over our heads. Passing towards the farther end of the 

 pool I saw, resting on the surface of the water, a number of 

 large round leaves, turned up at their edges ; they be- 

 longed to the Victoria water-lily. The leaves were just 

 beginning to expand (December 8rd), some were still 

 under water, and the largest of those which had reached 

 the surface measured not quite three feet in diameter. 

 We found a montaria with a paddle in it, drawn up on 

 the bank, which I took leave to borrow of the unkno^vn 

 owner, and Luco paddled me amongst the noble plants to 

 search for flowers, meeting, however, with no success. I 

 learnt afterwards that the plant is common in nearly all 

 the lakes of this neighbourhood. The natives call it the 

 furno do Piosoca, or oven of the Jacana, the shape of 

 the leaves being like that of the ovens on which Man- 

 dioca meal is roasted. We saw many kinds of hawks and 

 eagles, one of which, a black species, the Caracara-i (Mil- 

 vago nudicollis), sat on the top of a tall naked stump, 

 uttering its hypocritical whining notes. This eagle is 

 considered a bird of ill omen by the Indians ; it often 

 perches on the tops of trees in the neighbourhood of 

 their huts, and is theu said to bring a warning of 



