CACicus. 555 



Oacicus cela Brabourne & Chubb, B. S. Amer. i. p. 433, no. 4454, 



1912. 

 Cacicus cela cela Beebe, Tropical "Wild Life in British Guiana, p. 137, 



1917 (Bartica). 



Adult male. General colour, both on the upper and under 

 surface^ glossy black. The lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, 

 basal two-thirds of the tail, and a patch on the upper wing-coverts 

 bright yellow. 



Total length 270 mm., culmen 37, wing 158, tail 103, tarsus 30, 

 middle toe and claw 30, 



The male described was collected on the Ituribisi River in 

 October 1908. 



Adult female. Similar to the adult male, and differs only in its 

 smaller size. 



Total length 220 mm., culmen 30, wing 130, tail 89, tarsus 27, 

 middle toe and claw 27. 



The specimen described above was collected in the Upper 

 Takutu Mo mi tains. 



Breeding-season. April and May (Schomlmrgk). 



Nest. See Schoniburgk, Brown, Lloyd Price, infra, p. 556. 



Eggs. See Lloyd Price, infra, p. 556. 



Range in British Guiana. Upper Takutu Moimtains, Ituribisi 

 River, Mazaruni River {McConnell collection) ; Corentyne River 

 Brown] ; Tauraculi district, Georgetown {Quelch) ; Bartica 

 ( Whitely). 



Extralimital Range. South America from Colombia and Trinidad 

 to Bolivia and Southern Brazil. 



Habits. In referring to this bird Schomburgk writes (Reis. 

 Guian. i. p. 90) : — Nothing claimed my attention so much as a 

 colony of this species which had taken possession of an unusally 

 large Bombax globosum close to my windows. I never before 

 had heard such a babel among birds, whose number on this 

 enormous tree were busy repairing and building their purse- 

 shaped nests. The capability of this bird to imitate the voice 

 and cry of every living quadruped or bird near, has procured 

 for it the name of "Mocking-bird." It is impossible to imagine 

 a more restless and noisy Warbler. If the animals and other 

 birds are. quiet it will immediately commence its own somewhat 

 pleasant song. Should a Toucan suddenly emit its deep sounding 

 note this bird, without a moment's hesitation, imitates it. Should 



