BANANA-BIRD. 227 



ceptable are the various species of Anona, the 

 sops and custard-apples, on whose soft and lus- 

 cious pulp he delights to regale. A ripe sour-sop 

 is sure to attract him, in common with the Blue 

 Quits, with which he mingles. If the part ex- 

 posed be decomposing, as is often the case, he 

 may be seen tugging vigorously to pull off por- 

 tions of this, which he throws from his beak 

 with a jerk, seeking to arrive at a part more pala- 

 table. When thus engaged in feeding, and par- 

 ticularly when playfully pursuing the hen among 

 the twigs, his bright yellow coat glows beautifully 

 through the openings of the green leaves. 



I have observed so frequently as to be worthy 

 of notice, that when shot, the Banana bird grasps 

 the twig on which he was sitting, so tenaciously 

 as to hang from it, body downwards, until death 

 at length relaxes the clasp. 



The nest of this bird is an interesting struc- 

 ture; like that of the Baltimore of the Northern 

 continent, it is a deep purse suspended from two 

 parallel twigs, or from a fork. One before me 

 is composed chiefly of the wiry fibres plucked from 

 the fronds of the Palmetto-thatch, with some horse- 

 hair interwoven. Sometimes, where thatch- threads 

 are scarce, horse-hair alone is used, and the struc- 

 ture is particularly neat. But the more ordinary 

 material is a vegetable substance, so closely resem- 

 bling horse-hair, even on a minute inspection, 

 that I have had difficulty in persuading intelligent 

 persons that it was not actual hair, till I applied 

 it to the flame of a candle, when it burnt without 



