174 CASSELLS BOOK OF BIRDS. 



600 eggs. All the nests discovered were deeply ensconced among the boughs of pine-trees, at no 

 great height from the ground ; their walls were principally formed of dry twigs and sera) s from the 

 surrounding branches ; the central cavity was wide, deep, and lined with blades of grass and feathers. 

 The brood consists of from four to seven, but usually of five eggs, which are laid about the middle 

 of June ; the shell is blueish or purplish white, sparsely sprinkled with brown, black, or violet spots 

 and streaks, some of which take the form of a wreath at the broad end (see Fig. 25, Coloured 

 Plate IV.) The Silk-tail readily accustoms itself to life in a cage, and in some instances has been 

 known to live for nine or ten years in confinement, feeding principally upon vegetables, salad, white 

 bread, groats, or bran steeped in water. 



The MANAKINS (Pipra) constitute an extensive family of most beautiful and gaily-plumaged 

 birds, inhabiting America, Southern Asia, and New Holland. Almost all the members of this group 

 are of small size, few being larger than a Pigeon, and all are clothed in soft, silky feathers, glowing 

 with the most brilliant hues. Their bodies are compact ; their wings short, or of moderate length ; 

 their beak short, broad at the base, arched at the culmen, and slightly hooked and incised at its 

 extremity. The feet are powerful, the tarsi rather long, and the toes comparatively short. The 

 plumage, always compact and thick, varies much in its coloration, according to the age and sex. 

 All these birds inhabit forests and woodland districts, some few frequenting hilly or mountainous 

 tracts, while the greater number are only seen in lowland regions. Most of them are extremely lively 

 and social, passing their time in flying in small parties about the summits of forest-trees, and attracting 

 the attention of travellers as much by the peculiarity of their cry as by the glowing tints of their 

 plumage. They live almost exclusively on fruits of various kinds, sometimes on such as are of 

 considerable size. Kittlitz mentions having upon one occasion seen a Manakin flying with such 

 difficulty as to arrest his particular notice, and having brought down the bird with his gun, he 

 found on examining the stomach that it contained a half-digested palm-nut. " How it was possible," 

 he says, " for the bird to have swallowed a fruit nearly as large as its own body appeared to me most 

 extraordinary, but close investigation showed me that the gape of this species, like that of a snake, is 

 capable of great extension. I am, however, still at a loss to explain how the juices of the stomach 

 were enabled to demolish so huge a morsel." Some few species also devour insects. 



The ROCK BIRDS (Rupuolci) comprise some of the largest species in the entire family. Their 

 bodies are powerful ; their wings, in which the fourth quill exceeds the rest in length, are long ; the 

 tail is short, broad, straight at the tip, and almost covered by the long feathers upon the rump. The 

 tarsi are robust, the toes long, and armed with thick, long, and very decidedly hooked claws. The 

 feathers upon the back are broad, with either sharp tips or angular extremities ; those upon the brow, 

 top of the head, and nape, form an upright crest or plume. 



THE COCK OF THE ROCK. 

 The Cock of the Rock {Rupkola crocea), the best known species of this group, has been 

 minutely described by many writers. The rich plumage of the adult male is of a bright orange- 

 yellow ; the feathers that form the crest are deep purplish red ; the large wing-covers, quills, and 

 tail-feathers brown, edged with white at their tips, and marked with large white spots. The females 

 and young are of an uniform brown ; the lower wing-covers orange-red ; the rump and tail-feathers 

 light reddish brown ; and their crest considerably smaller than that of the male. All have orange-red 

 eyes, greyish yellow beaks, and yellowish flesh-pink feet. The male is twelve inches long ; his wing 

 measures seven and his tail nine inches, the female is at least two inches smaller. 



