1896.] EXPEDITION ON THE LOWER AMAZON. 773 
sluggish beast; at any rate a small specimen which I saw in the 
Public Gardens at Para was particularly so. 
Birps.—With regard to the Birds we met with I need say but 
little, as most of them belonged to well-known species. Hoazins 
(Opisthocomus cristatus) were extremely numerous in the bushes 
fringing the Parana de Buyassu, and could be seen flapping about, 
balancing themselves on twigs, and uttering their harsh cries in all 
directions. In the furo leading to Monte Alegre we also found 
them abundant, and here they appeared to be in better plumage, 
if not to belong to a finer race than the Buyassu birds. On the 
Parand de Buyassu and in the Monte Alegre furo a beautiful little 
Heron (Butorides cyanurus) was common and was often flushed 
out of the bushes. I may add that large white Herons, Egrets, 
and a bird closely resembling Ardea cinerea were frequently seen 
at various points along the shores of the river. Black Cuckoos 
(Crotophaga major) were another species common everywhere ; 
these birds often associate in small flocks of half a dozen or more. 
At Morte Alegre I obtained a yellowish-brown Woodpecker 
(Celeus ochraceus) which is possibly of some value, as I find that 
we have only two other specimens of the species in the Museum 
collection. The only other bird to which I need refer is a 
beautiful little Goatsucker, which was one of two that I met 
with on the Rio Negro, hawking in the air about three miles below 
Manaos and on the opposite shore to the city. I did not observe 
this species anywhere else. The specimen, which is unfortunately 
a young bird, has been referred provisionally by Mr. Ogilvie Grant 
to Nyctiprogne leucopygia ; however, it certainly belongs to a much 
smaller race than the typical form. 
Repritus aND AmMpuHiBiANs.—lI have already stated that among 
Reptiles and Amphibians, with a single exception (a small Frog), 
we met with nothing of any special interest. Strange to say we 
encountered no poisonous Snakes, and although constantly on the 
look out for the ‘“ hideous Sucuruji,” as Bates calls the Anaconda 
(Eunectes murinus), we were never so fortunate as to see one, 
although wherever we enquired about it the natives invariably 
assured us that it occurred. Of Alligators, too, we only met with 
two or three small specimens. These creatures, though doubtless 
common enough, are, on the course followed by the steamers, 
extremely shy and seldom seen, although on a lagoon near 
Santarem I believe Mr. Pickard Cambridge observed a number of 
them. 
The little Frog above alluded to (Prostherapis femoralis, Blgr.) 
was captured at Monte Alegre on Jan. 26th, and is the only 
specimen that has hitherto been obtained in Brazil. The species 
was described by Mr. Boulenger in 1894 from two specimens from 
Yurimaguas, on the Rio Huallaga,in Peru, and has until now 
been represented in the Museum collection only by the types and 
two other individuals from Ecuador. 
