284 EXCURSIONS AROUND EGA. Chap. IV. 



a thick pad of glossy steel-blue feathers, which grow on 

 a long fleshy lobe or excrescence. This lobe is connected 

 (as I found on skinning specimens) with an unusual 

 development of the trachea and vocal organs, to which 

 the bird doubtless owes its singularly deep, loud, and 

 long-sustained fluty note. The Indian name of this 

 strange creature is Uira-mimbeu, or fife-bird,* in 

 allusion to the tone of its voice. We had the good luck, 

 after remaining quiet a short time, to hear its perform- 

 ance. It drew itself up on its perch, spread widely the 

 umbrella-formed crest, dilated and waved its glossy 

 breast-lappet, and then, in giving vent to its loud piping 

 note, bowed its head slowly forwards. We obtained a 

 pair, male and female : the female has only the rudi- 

 ments of the crest and lappet, and is duller-coloured 

 altogether than the male. The range of this bird ap- 

 pears to be quite confined to the plains of the Upper 

 Amazons (especially the Ygapo forests), not having 

 been found to the east of the Rio Negro. 



Bento and our other friends being disappointed in 

 finding no more Curassows, or indeed any other species 

 of game, now resolved to turn back. On reaching the 

 edge of the forest we sat down and ate our dinners under 

 the shade ; each man having brought a little bag con- 

 taining a few handsfull of farinha, and a piece of fried 

 fish or roast turtle. We expected our companions of the 

 other division to join us at mid-day, but after waiting 

 till past one o'clock without seeing anything of them 

 (in fact, they had returned to the huts an hour or two 



* Mimbeu is the Indian name for a rude kind of pan-pipes used by 

 the Caishanas and other tribes. 



