18 THE CUBA REVIEW 



little sneaking about the thicket will lure the oriole from his hiding place and cause 

 him to scold and revile the intruder. The Cuban Green Woodpecker and the White-Eyed 

 Vireo are also garrulous birds often met in company with the oriole. 



One of the most beautiful birds of Cuba is the little Todi, which, with the excep- 

 tion of humming birds that are also very plentiful, is the smallest of the feathered in- 

 habitants of the Island. Its length from tip of bill to tip of tail is only a little over 

 three inches. The entire back of the bird is a brilliant grass green. On its throat is a 

 large patch of bright scarlet, bordered by a zone of white at the angle of the bill, replaced 

 toward the posterior end of the patch by a bright blue. The under parts are white and 

 smoky, while the flanks are washed with a pale scarlet. This little jewel of a bird 

 may be found anywhere in Western Cuba, usually in low shrubbery, bordering some 

 path, from which he invites your attention by a song that recalls faintly the note of the 

 kingfisher. 



Scattered throughout the Island and especially plentiful in the Sierras, is the Cuban 

 Lizard-Cuckoo, known to the natives as the Arriero. He is about twenty inches in 

 length, the long broad tail representing about three-fifths while the bill will add almost 

 two inches. The .'Arriero is one of the most interesting members of Cuban Avifauna. 

 His color is a pale grayish brown with a metallic flush. The throat and the anterior 

 part of the under surfaces are gray, washed with pale brown, while the posterior portion 

 is a pale reddish browTi. The large, broad tail feathers are tipped with white and crossed 

 by a broad band of black. 



He is a veritable clown, of curious and inquiring turn of mind, and extremely amus- 

 ing in his antics. Having responded to your call, he will inspect you carefully, moving 

 his tail sidewise, or cocking it up like a wren. He may slink away like a shadow, or he 

 may spread his wings and tumble over himself, chattering as if he had discovered the 

 most amusing thing in the world, and was bubbling over with mirth. 



One of the most strikingly colored birds in Cuba is the Trogon. The top of his 

 head is metallic purple, the entire back metallic green, while the under parts are pale 

 gray, a little lighter at the throat. The posterior and under-tail coverts are scarlet, 

 while the primaries of the wing, and part of the secondaries, are marked with white bars. 

 The outer tail feathers also are tipped with broad bands of white, the combination giving 

 to the bird a strikingly brilliant appearance. The Trogon is inclined to conceal his 

 beauty in thickets, and rarely displays himself in the open. His call suggests that of 

 the northern cuckoos. 



Water Birds: are very plentiful, especially in the shallow lagoons that for hundreds 

 of miles separate the mainland from the outlying islands. The largest and most striking 

 of these is probably the Flamingo, great flocks of which may be seen in the early 

 morning, spreading out like a line of red-coated soldiers along the sand spits, or retingas, 

 that frequently reach out from shore a mile or more into the shallow salt waters. The 

 flamingos are very shy, seldom permitting man to approach within 200 yards. 



Another beautiful water bird is the Sevilla, that reaches, with maturity, about the 

 size of the Muscovy Duck. Until nearly a year old this beautiful inhabitant of the 

 lagoons is snow white, after which his color changes to a bright carmine red. In the 

 unfrequented lagoons he is still very plentiful. In the same waters are found many 

 varieties of the heron family, including the much sought for little white heron, with 

 its beautiful plumage, from which the aigrettes so popular among women as ornaments 

 are obtained. 



One of the most peculiar and conspicuous birds in Cuba is the Ani, found every- 

 where throughout the Island where there are cattle, even approaching the outskirts of 

 large cities. The Ani is about the size of a small crow, jet black in color with a metallic 

 sheen, and carries a peculiar crest on the upper mandible. It lives almost entirely on 

 ticks or other parasitic insects that trouble cattle. It will sit perched on the back of an 

 ox, hunting industriously for ticks, which process or favor is apparently enjoyed by the 

 patient beasts. 



