CHATTERERS 



389 



appendage at the base of the upper half of the beak and at each corner of the 

 mouth, the female having shorter appendages to the mouth and only a small tuft 

 on the forehead. The cocks-of-the-rock, which are even more gorgeous than their 

 relatives the bell-birds, are spread over the north of South America, and remarkable 

 for their helmet-like crest-feathers, and for their splendid red and orange colouring. 

 Feedino- on fruits and inhabiting the mountains, these birds dwell on moss-<nn\vn 

 and fern-covered rocks, and breed in rocky clefts, the cocks performing the most 

 extraordinary dances 

 during pairing-time. In 

 Guiana and on the north 

 bank of the lower 

 Amazon the only species 

 is Rupicola croceus, 

 which is a little smaller 

 than a jackdaw, the 

 males being mainly of 

 a pale orange red, and 

 the females dull reddish 

 brown. Peru and Bolivia 

 are inhabited by the 

 somewhat larger and 

 darker Peruvian cock- 

 of- the -rock (R. peru- 

 vianus), and in Ecuador 

 lives the scarlet R. 

 sanguinolentus, which 

 closely resembles its 

 Peruvian relative, but 

 is a darker and brighter 

 red. The closely allied 

 hangmen-birds, also dis- 

 tinguished by their pre- 

 dominantly red plumage, 

 are not quite the size of 

 a thrush, and have only 

 a small crest, while the 



fourth quill of the males ends in a very narrow point. They are indigenous 

 to the north of South America, the black-necked hangman (Phcenicocercus 

 nigricollis) being found near Para, and the russet-winged hangman (P. earnifex) 

 near Cayenne and in Amazonia. The cotingas, or true chatterers, are small birds 

 with thrush-like beaks, but otherwise resemble starlings. They inhabit the 

 tropical forests of South America, where they feed on fruits, and are much 

 sought after by the natives on account of their flesh, and their beautiful feathers, 

 which are used for ornamental purposes. The gorgeous cotinga {Cotiruja 

 maynana), a pale blue bird with a violet spot on the throat, is indigenous to 

 Ecuador and the upper valley of the Amazon. 



JJJ/j^k^ujL- 



£2- 



PERUVIAN COCK-OF-THE-ROCK. 



