THE GREAT CHESTED COQUETTE. 267 



beneath, in which he hopes presently to spy out a 

 fish. And here is the Scarlet Flamingo, like a 

 soldier sentinel, and the White Ibis, and many 

 more. 



Overhead fly the sea-birds, the Gull and the 

 Tern, as though this mighty river were the ocean. 

 The Gulls utter all night their hoarse cry. By 

 day they often amuse themselves by sitting in a 

 row on some floating log of wood in the middle of 

 the stream, and sailing down, as if they enjoyed 

 the voyage. 



They deposit their eggs in the sand-banks. And 

 the Indian, who is very observant of 'the habits of 

 the birds, says, that in the middle of the day they 

 carry drops of water in their bills, to moisten the 

 eggs, and prevent them from being spoiled by the 

 excessive heat. 



And here, as in the sea, a shoal of porpoises 

 will tumble clumsily about. And, to the terror of 

 those who are sailing on the water, a grim alli- 

 gator will swim slowly by. 



The waters abound in fish. And here is found 

 a species of salmon, called the "piranga." This 



