93



of about 5,000 feet. Here we collected among other birds some

exquisite Tanagers, which would cause the aviculturist at home

to go wild with delight if he could but possess them alive ; and

beyond the difficulty of obtaining them, there is no reason why

many of them should not be easy to keep. Those of the genus

Callistc, I am convinced would be hardier than the Superb

Tanager from Brazil. Among the more important and con¬

spicuous ones we obtained from this spot, were the rare C.

cyanopygia ; the Rufous-throated Tanager, C. rufigularis ; the

Spangled Tanager, C. nigriviridis ; the Black-eared Tanager, C.

lunigera ; Vassor’s Tanager, Procnopis vassori ; and that beautiful

pink one, th & Pyranga cestiva. Some of these are confined solely

to Ecuador, whilst others range into parts of Colombia also.

Vassor’s Tanager, with the exception of the wings and tail which

are black, is a uniform shade of a lovely bright, but soft, blue,

with a satin-like gloss over all. This bird I am afraid would be

difficult perhaps to keep for it seemed to feed almost entirely on

insects, whereas the others eat largely of fruit. We found this

same bird, also at about the corresponding altitude, on the

Amazonian side of the Andes, and also the Spangled Tanager;

while the Black-eared is replaced by the Parzudake’s Tanager.

This is decidedly one of the most beautiful of all the genus

Callistce. The mother-of-pearl like reflection on the whole of the

breast and back is truly remarkable. Beyond being larger than

the C. lunigera, the only difference is, that it has bright red

cheeks and forehead, and more golden yellow on the head and

neck. These rich looking birds went about in small groups of

three or four together, and like all the Callistce, seem ever on the

move, flitting from twig to twig, with the same little note

uttered by the Superb Tanager. I had thought of trying to give

an exadl description of some of these Tanagers, but on looking

at the skins before me now, I find myself wanting in words to

describe the wonderful shades of colouring. This is especially

difficult with the nigriviridis and the cyanopygia. This latter

bird is also replaced on the Amazonian side, at the same altitude,

at Baeza, by the Blue-necked Tanager, C. cyaneicollis. The

shoulders of this superb creature shine like highly burnished

gold, as they do also, but to a lesser extent in its prototype, the

cyanopygia. These birds are still more solitary in their habits

than Parzudake’s and the Black-eared. It is a curious fact that

almost all the birds found at Canzacota, have their duplicates

(in many cases with only a slight change of colouring) in the

birds found at Baeza, on the far Eastern side. It is still more

marked in the Humming Birds. The blood red cock of the



