201 



birds are grey ; but as I have myself seen them 

 of all ageSj I can assert that they are always of 

 the *same colour. It is also said that whenever 

 they feedj one of the flock is placed as a sentinel^ 

 to give the alarm in case of danger to the others. 

 This circumstance I have never witnessed ; it is, 

 however, true, that they are extremely wild, and 

 can rarely be approached within gun-shot. As 

 the legs of this bird are too long to permit it 

 conveniently to cover its nest, it is compelled to 

 obviate this inconvenience by the position of the 

 the latter ; this is usually constructed at the edge 

 of the water, in shape of a truncated cone, a foot 

 and a fhalf high ; on the top of this cone is a 

 little excavation lined with very soft down. The 

 bird, while in the act of incubation, places itself 



* Danipier, who must have seen as many of these birds as 

 JMolina, and wliose veracity and accuracy are uniinpeacliablej 

 asserts on the contrary that the young ones are of a hght grey, 

 and as tlieir wing-feathers spring out they grow darker, and 

 never come to their right colour, nor any beautiful shape, 

 under tenor eleven months old. (Vol 1, p. 72.) The Goara- 

 xes, or Uwaras, as Sfade calls them, whose bright scarlet fea- 

 thers are the favourite ornament of the Brazilian tribes, are, 

 in like manner, first of the colour of ashes, and then brown. 

 . E. 



t Dan;pior says they build their nests in shallow ponds, 

 where there is much mud, which they scrape together, making 

 little hillocks, like small islands appearing out of the water, 

 Vol. 1. p. 71. 



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