osTiNOPs. 553 



Extralimital Range. Venezuela, Northern Brazil, Ecuador, 

 Peru. 



Habits. According to Sehomburgk <'Keis. Guiana, iii. p. 680) 

 this bird is also found in large flocks throughout British Guiana. 

 He did not find its nest ; but he had observed the male on the 

 outermost branches of a tree evidently performing courting 

 attitudes ; holdino; the branch with its feet and swinoiug itself 

 round several times during which it made a peculiar sound — this 

 performance is repeated several times in succession. When a 

 flock is approaching one can hear it quite a long way off 

 by the sound of its peculiar short note. When searching for 

 food, which consists o£ insects and fruit, it flies from tree to tree 

 and branch to branch in search of it. Sehomburgk says that 

 during his wanderings in the woods flocks have passed over which 

 must have numbered thousands. He states also that this bird 

 has a peculiar smell. The " Warraus " call it Konuh and the 

 "Macusis"' Guinoh. 



Mr. Quelch (Timehri (2) iv. p. 354), who oV)?prved this species 

 on the Upper Berbice River, remarks : " The green bunyas 

 {Ostinops viridis) were seen for the only time on the trip, but they 

 were high up out of range on gigantic moras." 



The following notes have lieen copied from Beebe (Our Search 

 for a Wilderness, pp. 3G, 201): — "Another larger species of 

 Cassique, dull green in color, built solitary nests, three feet 

 or more in length, but seldom near the homes of men or wasps. 

 Here and there in the jungle some loEty tree raised its. huge white 

 bole free of vine and liana .... and out on the very tip of one 

 of its swaying branches the nest was woven — safe from all tree- 

 climbing enemies. The notes of these birds were like deep 

 resonant cow-bells, ringing through the jungle, clear and metallic. 



"A pair of Great Green Cassiques had swung tlieir nest from 

 the tallest limb of a tree standing in the vrater, and we spent ten 

 minutes watching the male court his mate. As ho uttered his 

 incoherent medley of liquid co\vl)ell-like notes, he bent his neck, 

 thrusting his head fur downward and forward, and at the same 

 time throwing both wings forward and around in a srmi.jicle. 

 As tiiis curious action was coini)l(!ted, the vocal utterance came to 

 a close and the perfornumce was ovt- r." 



