ORNITHOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES 227 



CINEREOUS BUSHBIRD 



Thamnomanes caesius glaucus Cab. 



The cinereous bushbird, though one of the commonest 

 inhabitants of the Guiana jungle, like many others of its 

 kindred is but little known. It had no particular pref- 

 erence of locality but could be heard adding its voice to the 

 general chorus in any of the small groups of ant-thrushes 

 that continually worked their way through the jungle. Dur- 

 ing the nesting season from February to May each pair 

 selected a certain portion of the forest undergrowth and 

 floor for the home site and hunting ground. At this time 

 they did not greatly mind the inroads of other birds on their 

 property and at the voices of a passing company would 

 occasionally join in and follow for some distance, but the 

 approach of man was hailed with shrill cries of alarm, an 

 angry flutter of wings, and a fierce snapping of bills. Their 

 food consisted entirely of insects chiefly ants and beetles. 



Judging from the number of nests found in March and 

 April it would seem as if these were the two main nesting 

 months. The nests were placed in the forks of low bushes, 

 usually in the densest jungle and seldom more than five feet 

 from the ground. They were bowl-shaped and open, but 

 always protected by a roof of dried leaves placed across the 

 branches six inches above. 



The nest itself was composed entirely of more or less 

 rotted leaves, held together by a few fine root fibres. It 

 was lined with fresh dried leaves and often with a very thin 

 lining of the finest roots. The whole structure had a very 

 flimsy appearance, and looked like a plain mass of leaves 

 accidentally collected in a low bush. The outside diameter 

 was about 11 cm., but the interior cup was only 6 cm. across 

 at the top and 4.5 cm. deep. 



The birds sometimes gathered their building material 

 a hundred yards or more from the nest. It was interesting 

 to watch them carefully select a leaf from the thousands 





