550 BIRDS OF BRITISH GUIAKA. 



collection, and the specimen described above is in the British 

 Museum, collected by Henry "Whitely at Bartica on October 3, 

 1879, Salvin-Godman collection. 



Sreeding-season. Unrecorded in British Guiana. 



Nest. " Suspended from the ends of the branches of high trees, 

 often the coco-nut and cabbage palms. They are made of dry 

 grass and coco-nut fibre, interwoven with dry sticks and are 

 about five feet long. The entrance is a small hole near the top " 

 {Lloyd Price) . 



Eggs. " Two in number, white, thickly streaked and blotched 

 with pink" (LZoj/ti Pr/ce). 



Range in British Guiana. Ituribisi River {^McConnell collection) ; 

 ^SiYiiaa, (W liitely) ; Great Falls Demerara River, Georgetown 

 {QuelcK). 



Extralimital Range. South America, from Tobago, Trinidad, 

 Colombia to Bolivia, Baraguiiy, and South Brazil — extending to 

 Panama in Central America. 



Habits. Regarding the habits of this bird Schomburgk writes 

 (Reis. Guian. i. p. 187) : — " Rowing up stream on the Barima 

 River, we saw the long purse-shaped nests of Cassicus cristatus in 

 hirgo numbers hanging from the branches of an enormous tree on 

 the bank of the river ; I counted about three hundred. Tt is 

 curious that these birds congregate in the breeding-season, and 

 still more curious that they select the same trees and same 

 branches on which Vespa nidulans and V. morio had already built 

 their nests, and these three form a Guild against which none of 

 their numerous enemies — such as monkeys and tiger-cats— dare 

 to enter for the purpose of raiding eggs and young. But all life 

 and merriment ceased when the report of our guns frightened the 

 harniless inhabitants to such a degree that all the adult birds flew 

 ott' and remained siw ay for some considerable time." 



According to Schomburgk (Reis. Guian. iii. p. 680) this species 

 is distributed throughout British Guiana. It is always found in 

 large flocks even during the breeding-season. He had counted as 

 many as three to four hundred in one tree. The Indians use the 

 yellow tail-feathers of these birds as a special ornament, and the 

 birds are persecuted everywhere on that account. The bird 

 possesses a very peculiar scent. The Indians call it Konuh. 



The following note is copied from Mr. H. Lloyd Price (Timehri 

 (2) V. p. 62) : — " Similar nests to those of the Plantain-bird will 



