SAVANNA BLACKBIRD. 283 



in a moment sets the whole flock upon the wing, with 

 a singular cry, which the negroes please to express 

 by the words, going-awa-a-ay, but which may be 

 as well described, according to the fancy of the 

 hearer, as How-d'ye ? or Am. The appearance of 

 the bird in its gliding flights is unusual; the body 

 is slender, the head large, and the beak enormous ; 

 and as in flying it assumes a perfectly straight form, 

 with the long tail in the same line, without flapping 

 the wings, it takes the aspect, on a side view, 

 rather of a fish than of a bird. The centre of the 

 upper mandible is hollow, and the surrounding part 

 is composed of cells of very thin bone, as is the lower 

 mandible. It thus bears a great resemblance to the 

 beaks of the Toucans and Hornbills. The belly is 

 thin and lank, and the bird, even though fat, has 

 always the appearance of meagreness : the shabbiness 

 of the downy feathers that clothe the belly and the 

 long tibiae, adds to this effect. In these particulars, 

 as well as in general aspect and manners, the Black- 

 bird displays a strong affinity to the Cuckoos and Tou- 

 cans ; indeed, if I may judge from a living Rhamphas- 

 tos carinatus which was some time in my possession, 

 it seems nearer to the latter than to the former. 



The food of our Blackbird, though consisting 

 mainly of insects, is not confined to them. We 

 usually find the stomach distended with caterpillars, 

 moths, grasshoppers, beetles, and other insects, to 

 such a degree that we wonder how the mass could 

 have been forced in. But I have found these con- 

 tents mixed up with, and stained by the berries of 

 the snake-withe ; and in July I have found the 



