WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA 153 



plantations; others are never seen there, prefer- 

 ring the wild seeds of the forest to the choicest 

 fruits planted by the hand of man. 



On the same fig-trees to which they repair, and 

 often accidentally up and down the forest, you 

 fall in with four species of Manikin. The largest 

 is white and black, with the feathers on the throat 

 remarkably long: the next in size is half red and 

 half black : the third, black, with a white crown : 

 the fourth, black, with a golden crown, and red 

 feathers at the knee. The half red and half black 

 species is the scarcest. There is a creek in the 

 Demerara called Camouni. About ten minutes 

 from the mouth, you see a common-sized fig-tree 

 on your right hand, as you ascend, hanging over 

 water; it bears a very small fig twice a year. 

 When its fruit is ripe, this manikin is on the tree 

 from morn till eve. 



On all the ripe fig-trees in the forest you see 

 the bird called the small Tiger-bird. Like some of 

 our belles and dandies, it has a gaudy vest to veil 

 an ill-shaped body: the throat, and part of the 

 head, are a bright red ; the breast and belly have 

 black spots on a yellow ground; the wings are a 

 dark green, black, and white; and the rump and 

 tail black and green. Like the manikin, it has no 

 song: it depends solely upon a showy garment 

 for admiration. 



Devoid, too, of song, and in a still superber 

 garb, the Yawaraciri comes to feed on the same 

 tree. It has a bar like black velvet from the eyes 

 to the beak; its legs are yellow; its throat, wings 

 and tail black ; all the rest of the body a charming 

 blue. Chiefly in the dry savannas, and here and 



