CHAPTER III. 



The Houtou. Curious habit of trimming the tail and feathers its habits. 

 The Guianan Jay. The Boclora. Slight attachment of the feathers. 

 The Cuia. Rice-birds. Cassiques their habit of mockery. 

 Pendulous nests. Gregarious nesting of different species. Wood- 

 peckers of America and England. Kingfishers. Jacamars and their 

 fly-catching habits. Troupiales and their songs. Tangaras. Mani- 

 kins. Tiger-birds. Yawaraciri. Ant Thrushes. Parrot of the Sun. 

 Aras, or Macaws. Bitterns. Egret, Herons, etc. Goatsuckers. 

 Whip-poor- Will. Superstitions. Tinamous. Powis and Maroudi. 

 Horned Screamer. Trumpeter. King Vulture. Anhinga. Dangers 

 of travel. Quartan ague. 



THE Houtou ranks high in beauty amongst the birds of 

 'Demerara his whole body is green, with a bluish cast in 

 the wings and tail ; his crown, which he erects at pleasure^ 

 consists of black in the centre, surrounded with lovely blue 

 of two different shades : he has a triangular black spot, 

 edged with blue, behind the eye extending to the ear ; and 

 on his breast a sable tuft, consisting of nine feathers edged 

 also with blue. This bird seems to suppose that its beauty 

 can be increased by trimming the tail, which undergoes the 

 same operation as our hair in a barber's shop, only with 

 this difference, that it uses its own beak, which is serrated, 

 in lieu of a pair of scissors ; as soon as his tail is full 

 grown, he begins about an inch from the extremity of the 

 two longest feathers in it, and cuts away the web on both 

 sides of the shaft, making a gap about an inch long : both 



