Ii6 TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. {January, 



are found. In the evening after dark he returned, bringing 

 one fine specimen. This singular bird is about the size of 

 a raven, and is of a similar colour, but its feathers have a 

 more scaly appearance, from being margined with a different 

 shade of glossy blue. It is also allied to the crows in its 

 structure, being very similar to them in its feet and bill. On 

 its head it bears a crest, different from that of any other bird. 

 It is formed of feathers more than two inches long, very thickly 

 set, and with hairy plumes curving over at the end. These can 

 be laid back so as to be hardly visible, or can be erected and 

 spread out on every side, forming a hemispherical, or rather a 

 hemi-ellipsoidal dome, completely covering the head, and even 

 reaching beyond the point of the beak : the individual feathers 

 then stand out something like the down-bearing seeds of the 

 dandelion. Besides this, there is another ornamental appendage 

 on the breast, formed by a fleshy tubercle, as thick as a quill 

 and an inch and a half long, which hangs down from the neck, 

 and is thickly covered with glossy feathers, forming a large 

 pendent plume or tassel. This also the bird can either press to 

 its breast, so as to be scarcely visible, or can swell out, so as 

 almost to conceal the forepart of its body. In the female the 

 crest and the neck-plume are less developed, and she is al- 

 together a smaller and much less handsome bird. It inhabits 

 the flooded islands of the Rio Negro and the Solimoes, never 

 appearing on the mainland. It feeds on fruits, and utters a 

 loud, hoarse cry, like some deep musical instrument ; whence 

 its Indian name, Ucramtmbc, "trumpet-bird." The whole of 

 the neck, where the plume of feathers springs from, is covered 

 internally with a thick coat of hard, muscular fat, very difficult 

 to be cleaned away, which, in preparing the skins, must be 

 done, as it would putrefy, and cause the feathers to drop off. 

 The birds are tolerably abundant, but are shy, and perch on 

 the highest trees, and, being very muscular, will not fall unless 

 severely wounded. My hunter worked very perseveringly to get 

 them, going out before daylight and often not returning till nine 

 or ten at night, yet he never brought me more than two at a 

 time, generally only one, and sometimes none. 



The only other birds found in the islands were the beautiful 

 and rare little bristle-tailed manakin, and two species of curassow- 

 bird. On the mainland, the white bell-bird was found on the 

 loftiest trees of the forest, almost out of gunshot. Three were 



