12 



THE OOLOGIST. 



my gun, revolver, hunting knife, am- 

 munition and medicines, besides money 

 and otlier tilings, specimens, etc., in 

 tiie river and after a desperate strug- 

 gle in the swift waters, of reaching the 

 bank, wounded by the vicious Caub 

 fish, to be poisoned by some noxious 

 plants and picked up a few houi's later 

 more dead than alive by a chance boat. 

 But of these things I must speak later, 

 if at all, and now T will tell of a few of 

 the many birds I have encountered in 

 this land of perpetual summer. 



Perhaps the birds best known in the 

 North and which are residents here, 

 are the Parrots, Macaws and Parro- 

 queis. These birds abound in great 

 numbers in this vicinity and it is no 

 uncommon thing to see a dozen Ma- 

 caws, both red and yellow, in the trees 

 around our camp. Those who have 

 known them in their haunts or even 

 seen them in their captivity will have 

 no trouble in recalling their harsh cry. 

 This varies in tone according to the de- 

 sire they wish to express. It is inter- 

 esting to stand under a tree occupied 

 by several of these birds when they are 

 unaware of your presence, and I assure 

 you they will not long occupy a tree if 

 they are aware you are beneath it, and 

 note their odd manoeuvers while you 

 listen to their very expressive Macaw 

 talk. Thus I have watched and listen- 

 ed to them many times and anyone 

 who does not believe that animals have 

 a separate and distinct language of 

 their own would be convinced of the 

 fact if they could share the opportunity 

 I have enjoyed in observing this one 

 bird. Standing under a tree thus em- 

 ployed I have heard the Macaw's note 

 of alarm as I made some movement 

 which the sharp eyes of the bird delect- 

 ed. It would be answered by the oth- 

 ers, when if I made no further sign of 

 my presence, some one of the birds, 

 using beak and claws, would climb 

 down to the one which had first utterad 

 the warning and they would confer, 



with beaks together, in a soft murmur- i 

 ing tone. Then they would both sharp- 

 ly scan the place of my concealment.. 

 After another beak to beak conference- 

 they were seemingly satisfied that nO' 

 alien was near one returned |to its un- 

 finished guava and the other climbed 

 back to its perch, and all the others, 

 which had been waiting ready foi- 

 flight. resumed their feast. If space 

 would permit I could recount other 

 equally interesting conversations be- 

 tween the Macaws which |I have over- 

 heard. 



The green Parrot, common in captiv- 

 ity in the States, is very common here 

 in its native state, (iet enough of them 

 together and I am sure they can out- 

 scream the Macaws. Their voice is not 

 80 harsh and loud as that of the Ma- 

 caw but it is higher and more piercing, 

 and a dozen or more of them scream- 

 ing together can make as discordant a 

 medley as 1 ever listened to. You all 

 have heard of Pigeon flights, but who 

 ever saw a flight of Parrots, when 

 thousands of birds could be seen over- 

 head and on each s'de while behind 

 was a line as far as the eye could see. 

 About five o'clock one morning I wit- 

 nessed the beginning of such a flight, 

 and when darkness shut down the Par- 

 rots were still coming and how long af- 

 ter this swarm of green plumaged birds 

 continued I have no means of knowing. 

 From whence they came and whither 

 they departed I know not either. 



The pretty little Parroquets or "love 

 birds," ss they are often called, are 

 quite often seen in flocks of from ten to 

 twenty. This is contrary to the rule 

 with Parrots and Macaws, which, no 

 matter how many there are together 

 seem to associate more closely in pairs. 

 I would say more but my letter is al- 

 ready quite long enough for this time. 

 Leslie O. Dakt, 

 Sacupana, Venezuela, S. A. 

 May 21, '96. 



