BIRD LIVE or IJARTICA 107 



Twenty-seven groups of birds I classed in general as 

 protectively colored, tliat is. I have seen nuinhers of eacli 

 of these groups freeze motionless as I passed by, oi- when a 

 hawk or some other direct source of danger appeared. Some 

 of them, when held in the hand or examined in a museum 

 case, would never be considered as protected by ])igment, and 

 in these instances the marvelous kaleidosco])e of the jungle, 

 plus absolute motionlessness, was their safeguard. 



Of birds directly protected by their pigments and })at- 

 terns, tinamou, partridges and goatsuckers were saturated 

 with the brown and buff essences of the jungle floor. AVood- 

 hcM-ers had drawn over themselves the screen of reddish- 

 brown and dull lichen spots of the tree-trunks. The black 

 and white contrasty shadows of the dim mid- jungle sheltered 

 the curassows, guans, jungle pigeons, sun-bitterns, owls, 

 goldbirds, manakins and thrushes. Finally the green foliage 

 of the jungle roof was reflected from the plumage of par- 

 rots, parrakeets and vireos. In the clearing, chachalacas, 

 ground doves, rails and cuckoos were protected in their vari- 

 ous niches of life, waders and colored herons less well con- 

 cealed, put their trust far more in immobility. 



The remaining jungle birds, although not plainly en- 

 vironmentally colored, yet trusted their lives to a long chance 

 of being passed unobserved. Among these I found motmots, 

 trogons, barbets, jacamars and puff birds. To take one of 

 these from a museum drawer would leave no option but to 

 call it conspicuous. To see it quail momentarily as I pre- 

 tended to pass and to realize the very apparent difficulty of 

 detecting its white spots or metallic back or yellow sunlit 

 breast in this optical tower of ])abel was to feel certain that 

 other creatures desiring its death more than I, must also 

 have difficulty in distinguishing it. The great group of ant- 

 birds was fascinating in the individuality of its members and 

 collectively defied any specific classification. Some, like the 

 flycatchers of the clearing, were self-a])pointed guardians of 

 the jungle, and with bravery and unlimited curiosity exam- 



